Life Like This
by WordyAndRestless
Summary: PoA. AU. Auror Tonks goes back to Hogwarts disguised as a student to protect Harry Potter and capture Sirius Black. Upon meeting a certain bookworm professor, she finds her life being turned upside down. And how will she catch Black when he's her cousin?
1. From Dawn Till Dusk

**Author's Note:**

Hmm, I've had the idea for the plot of this story sitting in my mind for weeks, so now I decided to try it out. Fair warning, my chapters are a bit long. And sorry in this first chapter you don't see a lot of Remus. I'm going to focus mainly around Tonks, but there will be other characters I'll go into who will work with the story too.

The AU - ness: Ok I just thought I'll make this clear. This is definitely an AU story. It takes place during the Prisoner of Azkaban time period where Remus is the DADA teacher there, Sirius just escaped and the whole world is looking for him. I'll use some cannon factors to help guide the story along and give you a sense of where we are, but other than that it's mostly AU. I have added a few fictional characters of my own in there just because I felt like it haha sorry. And of course it's AU because now Tonks is disguised as a student.

**Disclaimer**: I figure I'll do this once at the very beginning. This is AU, but anything you recognized belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling (I swear she's a genius). All the characters and places you recognize are hers, no matter how OOC they seem. Only I think maybe three or four of the characters are mine.

I hope you'll enjoy this, leave a review if you can. Thank you very much! ^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter 01 – From Dawn Till Dusk<strong>

"Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement," a cool, chilling voice announced just as the wrought golden grills to the lift slid open.

The lift had been stacked full of people, squeezed and packed tightly together and were slowly piling out. As always, Nymphadora Tonks stumbled gracelessly out of the lift, her bubblegum pink hair a blur as she tripped and caught herself as she fell. As if it was a morning routine of hers, Tonks straightened herself and held tighter onto the pile of bulky Ministry folders she had under her arm as if nothing happened at all. She looked up, her eyes immediately meeting the back of a man's head which caused her to frown at his dreadfully boring attire of a concealing set of black robes. Tonks clashed with all the others surrounding her, with her violet plum colored leather robes, her bubblegum pink hair, the tattered jeans she wore, black boots, and the grey _Weird Sisters_ t-shirt. Her pale, heart-shaped face was much too young in the middle of the mass of Aurors, and her smile was much too wide, but it made her unique against the bore.

"Why so happy Tonks?" Kingsley Shacklebolt's slow and deep voice chuckled at her.

"I just finished all the reports assigned to me," she grinned.

"Wow, no wonder," he smiled. "Paperwork is a total kill joy in this job."

"Tell me about it," she smiled as she walked beside Kingsley into the farm of cubicles that was the workplace of the Aurors. "I was up all night yesterday and the day before, running on nothing but coffee and chocolate."

They spoke a little more and parted way as Kingsley spoke with Silvia White, a female Auror in her early thirties with chocolate brown hair and a young, pretty face whose cubicle was right beside Tonks'. Tonks went on and finally arrive at Mad-Eye's office, scattered with papers.

She didn't bother knocking seeing that there was no one else beside Mad-Eye Moody in the room. She entered to see a battle-worn man get up from his desk, his calloused features striking her no surprise as she was so used to seeing them. Even his distorted nose and his mechanical electric blue eye that swirled crazily in its place didn't surprise her.

"What do you want?" he grunted, but it wasn't a cold grunt he gave others.

"I finished all the reports and didn't even use color ink," she smiled, shoving the pile of folders into his arms. "Can I work on the new mission with you?" she asked eagerly.

"You don't even know what we have to do. You may not want to work this case."

"Beggars can't be choosers," Tonks smiled and followed him out of the office.

Mad-Eye grunted once, a grunt of approval she'd recognized after training under him and actually getting to know the man. "I'll speak with Scrimgeour and see what I can do."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you!" she smiled, hugging him, much to Mad-Eye's discomfort.

"Be serious," he growled. "Go wait while I speak with Scrimgeour about you joining the team." He was too fast for her to keep up with. Even with a faux leg and a wooden walking stick, Mad-Eye's strides were far too wide and he still maneuvered at a high, steady speed.

"What's the case about?" she called after but he didn't answer her.

"Speak of the devil," a smooth, airy but playful voice called out to her. Tonks could recognize that voice anywhere, after being best friends, practically sisters with its owner ever since she was five. Tonks turned around as Mad-Eye disappeared into Rufus Scrimgeour's office. Gathered around Silver White's cubicle were Kingsley Shacklebolt and the owner of the airy voice, Alexis Black, Tonks' cousin, possibly twice removed.

Tonks smiled as a reply to Alexis' signature smirk. "What are you doing here? You're not here to wreak havoc on us all are you?" she teased as she took a glance at her favorite cousin.

Alexis, whom Tonks fondly called Lexi ever since small, was a small, pixie woman a year older than Tonks, age twenty-one. She was orphaned after her parents had been killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, a story she didn't want to hear. Alexis was luckily raised away from the psychotic drear and glum of the Black family. In fact, she was possibly the only Black who wasn't mentally insane, in Azkaban, or was out to kill all muggleborn. The girl though didn't escape all the signature looks of the Black and had long, straight, jet black hair, sharp, defined features on a pretty face, and dark brown, almost black eyes.

"I'm here to simply talk with Kingsley and Silvia," she replied innocently.

"I'm watching you, Black," Tonks teased, narrowing her eyes and trying to imitate the look that Lexi always got from people and was all too familiar with. Lexi only smirked.

"Tonks, did Mad-Eye say you could join the case?" Kingsley asked, chuckling.

"I don't know. He said he was going to talk it over with Scrimgeour."

"If they let Alexis join the team, they'll let you too," Silver interrupted with a kind smile.

"Wait, what? Lexi's in this mission too?" Tonks asked, utterly surprised. "But you're an Unspeakable. How did you wound up with an Auror mission?" Tonks stuttered.

The three chuckled as Lexi folded her arms and began to explain. "In this mission, you'll be using some tools and instruments taken directly from the Department of Mysteries. It is by Ministry regulations that we accompany you, one because of safety reasons with the magical instruments, and two because we have to make sure none of the information about it is leaked."

"What are we using?" Tonks asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We don't know for sure yet," Kingsley spoke. "But Mad-Eye mentioned time turners."

"Wicked," Tonks smiled. A twinkle was present in her eyes as she wondered about it.

"Don't even think about it," Lexi warned in a suddenly serious and all Unspeakable like tone. Tonks knew that was how her cousin was, silly and goofy and possibly the biggest motor mouth on the face of the Earth, but she knew when to be serious…sort of.

"What's this case about? Mad-Eye won't tell me."

"Silvia has the full report," Kingsley spoke, leaning his tall broad build to the side.

"I don't know if Mad-Eye would want us disclosing information just yet."

Tonks rolled her eyes. Silvia was a total sweet heart but she takes her work too seriously. Thankfully, Mad-Eye had just escaped from Scrimgeour's office. "Tell her," he grunted. "Scrimgeour approve of it. If Alexis is in this case there's no reason why Nymphadora can't be."

"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora!" Tonks snapped. Her hair changed color rapidly from bubblegum pink to a violently fiery red that looked almost like Arthur Weasley's down the hall.

"Alright Tonks calm down," Kingsley patted her shoulder.

"It has been established that Sirius Black would be heading to Hogwarts," Silvia began. With the mentioning of his name, Tonks knew why they were so wary of the case. Sure Sirius was her cousin and was family, but she'd never known the man and wondered if he's just like all the other Blacks in Azkaban, evil and cruel. "He'd been sighted at towns that lead from the Ministry to Hogwarts and we can predict that he'll be sighted at Hogsmeade next. We think that he's after Harry Potter, wanting to finish off what he started twelve years ago."

Silvia paused to look around. Tonks noticed Mad-Eye's silent grumble at the mentioning of what happened twelve years ago. She'd heard stories of how the Potters had been murdered and the story of the boy who lived. Tonks knew then that that case wasn't as easy as it seemed.

"The Minister wants Aurors to be stationed at Hogwarts, one, to protect Mr. Harry Potter from such danger, and two, to capture Black by all means necessary. There are Dementors but they are not allowed in castle grounds. That's where we come in," Silvia briefed in her all business tone. "We'll be patrolling the grounds and the Forbidden Forest. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore wants us to be of no distraction to the students so we'll have to do so in secrecy. It's mainly so we don't stir panic amongst the students."

"So where do the Unspeakables come in? Not that I don't enjoy Lexi's company," Tonks smirked when Lexi playfully hit her shoulder.

"There will be three Unspeakables and six Aurors in a team of nine people," Mad-Eye grunted. "We'll carry out the mission under concealment. The disillusion charm takes up too much energy and invisibility cloaks will slow us down. The Department of Mysteries unveiled a device they refer to as the ghost necklace which renders us completely invisible with the added ability to walk through walls, students, and such. We'll still be able to cast spells but what we say or do will be of no knowledge to the students. With the Unspeakables on this case, they'll be able to help us in case the devices malfunction or something of such nature."

Tonks nodded and proceeded to look over the case documents after a while. Kingsley was explaining more about the case while Mad-Eye was forming a schedule for how they will be carrying out the task of protecting Harry Potter but looking for Sirius Black as well. Soon Mad-Eye ordered them to go home and quickly pack. Doing as she was told, Tonks followed Lexi down to the Atrium as the two girls apparated to the flat that they shared in Diagon Alley.

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><p>Her apartment was a small flat located in the heart of Diagon Alley with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a clash of two different natures. Tonks was messy and uncaring while Lexi was neat and way too organized for her own good. Their decorative eye clashed as well with Lexi preferring a modern theme while Tonks enjoyed color and variety. Yet somehow, the two cousins had managed to live with each other ever since they graduated Hogwarts.<p>

"Lexi, what do you think of Sirius…now?" Tonks suddenly asked after a long silence.

Alexis was folding her clothes hastily as she replied without looking over at Tonks. "I don't know. To be honest…in my mind I don't remember him as a murderer and traitor. I remember him as our favorite cousin Padfoot. You couldn't have forgotten that."

"How could I?" Tonks replied, her eyes signifying many, many thoughts going through. "I could never forget how he's our favorite cousin. Aside from you and mum, he's the only one from the Black family who doesn't want me dead." She quietly packed for a few more moments. "How are we going to capture him? Murderer or not, he's still family."

"I don't know. I'm not the Auror here," Lexi replied.

"I just hope no one else knows of our relations to Sirius though," Tonks mumbled. "I can stand it when they talk bad about him. But when people suddenly start judging us just because we're related to an escaped criminal, and the looks they give us, it just bothers me so much."

"Some people are like that. Over time you learn to live with it. Trust me."

"I know. At least I'm not the one bearing the last name. But I swear if I see that judgmental look in someone's eyes again, on either of us, I'm going to snap."

Tonks emptied her closet of all her clothes. On the papers, Mad-Eye said they'll be staying at Hogwarts until they catch Sirius, and she bet that it will be a very long time. She glanced over the information papers and noticed the listing of a few things she didn't recognize. "What's a locator, something from your department? And what are we doing with time turners?"

"Some students use time turners to attend more classes than time would allow them. We use time turners to track them and make sure they're as safe as possible. Plus, they're oddly useful," Lexi smiled. "And locators are a new invention that we'll be using to capture Sirius. You think of a person's name and face in your mind and it will point you to where they are, acting sort of like a compass. But all these…um…instruments…haven't really been fully tested yet. The Minister is kind of rushing into this, that stupid oaf. So to guarantee your safety, _we're_ here. Also, we're here in case you get time splinched," Lexi smirked in a scarily pleasant tone.

"Time splinch?" Tonks questioned. "That doesn't sound too pleasant," she sighed.

"No it's not. It's kind of like splinching during apparition, but much, much worse," Lexi teased, smirking and enjoying the expression on Tonks' face. "You body parts could end up in another time. The_ cleanest_ case of time splinching we've ever had was a man returning with half his body. The other half ended up in 1869," she spoke in a silly spooking voice.

Tonks had a very disturbing picture run through her head and whimpered slightly.

Lexi burst into laughter as she tried to close her over packed bags. "Oh by the way, I meant to ask, how are things with you and Charlie?"

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Why would you ask that? We broke up a month ago."

"Yes. But Charlie's been pulling me out for drinks way too often and every time he keeps talking about you and all that. It's getting rather annoying. He wants you back little cuz."

"I'll get back with him if he doesn't mention anything about dragons for one day."

"You know it's impossible for the bloke," Lexi smiled. "He's in love with his dragons."

"And there you have it. Besides, Charlie and I don't match." Tonks groaned as she pounced on her bag, trying to get all her clothes to fit. "What about you and your many boys?"

"Dumped them all," Lexi rolled her eyes. "I think it's time I start looking for a romance that actually lasts longer than a week and consists of less…physical aspects," she smiled. "But I think I've also depleted my available choices over the years. I'm lonely and available now."

"Well," Tonks smiled. "I don't know how long you can keep away from your heartbreaker ways, but I'll just have to hope that the next heart you get in your hands, you won't break and will keep for a while." She playfully pushed Lexi. "Lonely and available," she scoffed.

* * *

><p>Arrival night at Hogwarts was just as rowdy, heated, and welcoming as they remembered it to be. Tonks couldn't help but smile as she passed by groups of students scattered in the long halls after the feast, catching up after summer vacation. Just a few short years ago, she was like that. Tonks admitted she missed those days. But she wouldn't ever want to repeat it. Homework and typical school drama seemed like a bit too much for where she was after becoming an Auror.<p>

They were standing in the headmaster's office, Tonks and Lexi receiving warm glances from Dumbledore. They did leave quite an impression on the man before they graduated, packing the entire library with dung bombs and nearly burning down the Whomping Willow. Tonks remembered those good old days and grinned to herself.

She listened intently as Lexi, Augustus Rookwood, and Broderick Bode, the three Unspeakables explained how to use the various instruments and the danger they may pose. She enjoyed the look on Silvia, Kingsley, and Dawlish's face when Lexi repeated her story about time splinching with time turners. Tonks also recognized a few other Aurors there. One in particular was a young man with dark brown almost black hair named Marrick Kingston. He was in the same year as Lexi, Tonks remembered, a prefect one year older than Tonks, and almost always caught Lexi and Tonks during their troublemaking acts. She could see the death glares Lexi and Marrick exchanged as they had hated each other ever since school.

After they finished their briefing again, Tonks watched as Mad-Eye divided up the nine Ministry officials into three teams. The first team included Kingsley, Bode, and Dawlish who will be patrolling the grounds and looking for Sirius Black along with the Dementors. Tonks stifled a laugh when Kingsley groaned, realizing he'd have to work with Bode. The second team was Mad-Eye, Silvia, and Rookwood who would patrol inside and outside the castle, protecting the students and investigating any suspicious activities. Silvia would also be posing as the new History of Magic professor, much to Silvia's dismay at the boring subject.

"Bloody hell," Lexi mumbled beside Tonks as Mad-Eye spoke to Rookwood and Silvia. "I have the worst luck of the century. I'm stuck with you and _Kingston_," she groaned.

Tonks smirked at the irony. "Oh cheer up Lexi," she teased.

"That will leave you three," Moody grunted. "Alexis, you and Marrick will work side by side in following Tonks around and protecting Harry Potter is your top priority."

"Oh why do I have to work with him?" Lexi accidentally mused out loud.

"I don't particularly enjoy working with a troublemaker myself you know," Marrick replied from where he stood beside Mad-Eye, earning a vicious death glare from Lexi.

"Wait, follow _me_ around? What do you mean _me_? I thought we're protecting Harry."

"We can't have you stalking him twenty-four seven, he'll notice," Moody grunted. "So Tonks, you'll be posing as a third year Gryffindor and attend all his classes. Alexis and Marrick will keep close to you and you three will be following Potter and his friends."

"What?" Tonks replied, ignoring the snicker from Lexi. "Third year Gryffindor?"

"Yes, that is actually my request," Professor Dumbledore smiled from behind his desk and half moon glasses. There was a twinkle in his eyes that prevented Tonks from getting angry at him, but she couldn't control it when her hair turned flaming red.

"Tonks this is an order," Mad-Eye growled. "You'll be using your metamorphmagus skills to pose as a third year Gryffindor and follow Mr. Potter and friends through all his classes where you will be keeping an eye on him at all times. Alexis and Marrick will be there to aid you. Since your group has a relatively low age average, you can easily pass off as students. Tonks you'll still go by your real name, Nymphadora Tonks. We've talked it over with all the teachers and staff here and they have agreed to keep this classified."

"You already made this decision without telling me?" Tonks asked, feeling sick at the news of hearing she'd have to be a student all over again, not to mention a third year. She remembered her third year had been her worst year. Lexi was busy with all her classes then. They didn't get to hang out, and they were from two different houses, Lexi a Ravenclaw while Tonks was a Hufflepuff. Tonks couldn't forget how dreadful her third year had been.

"It's already been decided Nymphadora," Moody growled. "Follow your orders or back out of this mission." He gave her an ultimatum.

Tonks growled and folded her arms, trying hard not to hex Lexi who couldn't help but giggle beside her. "Fine," Tonks replied in such a childish tone and pout.

"You three will be sharing a living space on the third floor. Get there and rest up, you'll be starting early tomorrow," Moody grumbled and nodded to Dumbledore before he left.

Tonks, Lexi, and Marrick were about to leave until Dumbledore held them back. "Miss Tonks, may I please ask you along with Alexis and Marrick to stay a bit longer?"

She couldn't refuse her headmaster as they nodded. The three of them felt exactly like students all over again. It was similar to when they were students as well, the three being alone with the headmaster in his office. It was just like those nights in Tonks' sixth year where Marrick Kingston, the Gryffindor git of a prefect would catch them and bring both girls in. Somehow, standing there felt all too shockingly familiar.

"I've asked a few teachers to come and meet you so that they won't be surprised to find Aurors in their classroom. I hope you don't mind," Dumbledore smiled. "By the way, I always did favor the pink on you as opposed to fiery red, but whichever you prefer," he winked.

"Do you think we'll see Snape?" Lexi snickered, remembering their old potions teacher.

"I hope not," Tonks spoke, morphing her hair. "This is all really amusing to you isn't it?"

"Actually…yes and I can't wait to see you in your uniform," she smirked. "Yellow and black suited you. I want to see how you look in red and gold," she chuckled.

"You're going to wake up, _under water_ if you keep this up," Tonks warned.

"Like I haven't heard _that_ threat before," Lexi scoffed and folded her arms as a knock on the door sounded. "If I remembered right, in your fourth year, it was _I_ who left you stranded on a boat for a night. When you woke up you _were_ under water," she smirked.

"Grow up will you?" Marrick sighed, glaring at the two girls.

Tonks and Lexi both threw death glares at him. She knew that Lexi thought the same way when they say that he's attractive. Marrick was actually very good looking with his lean, muscular body, toned skin and chiseled features, but he was just way too uptight and annoying.

"Git," Lexi rolled her eyes.

As the door opened, Tonks saw Dumbledore smile at them and then turned his attention to the three teachers who entered the room. They immediately recognized two of the three teachers. One was Professor McGonagall, their old Transfiguration teacher. Tonks remembered she did enjoy that class, how she passed it so easily. The look on McGonagall's face had been so amusing that Tonks wished she had a camera to savor the moment. Surely the woman never expected three of her former students to be standing in the headmaster's office again, on arrival night, a sight that had been all too familiar a few years ago. She smiled hesitantly at them, her smile easier when she saw Marrick who had been in Gryffindor and wasn't a troublemaker. She immediately recognized Lexi and Tonks. They wondered if inside her head, she was wondering if somehow she'd fallen back three years into the past.

The other teacher was Professor Severus Snape. No one liked him, not even Marrick as he continuously favored Slytherins over Gryffindors. Snape always purposely called Tonks by her dreadful first name just to tick her off while he drew out Lexi's last name in a disgusted tone. To them, he was nothing more than a greasy haired git, and they could say that now that they've graduated. There was another professor though, one whom neither of them recognized.

He was a young man who looked tired and worn with premature lines. He had light brown hair flecked with grey and a gentle, shy, almost hesitant smile with very soft and beautiful blue eyes. He was attractive, but it didn't come off immediately as because of the faint scars that crossed his face. His clothes were shabby and old, but Tonks felt like he was a nice guy, at least he looked like a nice guy and probably a decent professor.

"I'm glad you three can make it," Professor Dumbledore smiled and stood up. Tonks felt so much like she was standing there as a student and troublemaker again rather than an Auror. "As you know, there will be a team of Aurors in the castle to help make it safer for the students. They will be inconspicuous of their work of course," Dumbledore smiled. "These three will be responsible for the student's safety. This is Auror Marrick Kingston, Unspeakable Alexis Black, and Auror Nymphadora Tonks who will also be posing as a third year Gryffindor student. I just want you to be aware there will be Aurors in your classroom so there won't be any surprises."

"Black and Tonks," Remus repeated under his breath.

Tonks saw the unknown professor suddenly tense and heard him repeat their last names. She didn't blame him, it was an expected reaction from everyone these days, and she knew Lexi didn't care either. In fact, Tonks didn't think her cousin noticed while she was busy glaring back at Marrick. But she saw that the professor was looking at them intently, _both_ of them.

Remus froze, unable to help himself as he heard the names. He thought he recognized that pink hair and that unforgettable smirk of the Black family. He remembered them. Sirius had mentioned them as his cousins and even showed him pictures when they were born. Remus knew they were Sirius' family and felt it unfair to judge them so, but Sirius had turned his life so much into a living hell, he couldn't help it. He wondered what Sirius' cousins were doing in an investigation to catch him and was skeptical of them. They were probably spies. He couldn't trust them. He couldn't bring himself to trust anyone related to Sirius, not after what he's done.

"Nymphadora and Black," Snape sneered, raising a skeptical look at them. "Headmaster, are you sure these two will not cause any _trouble_ like they were known for a few years ago?"

"I'm sure they'll be of no trouble at all. They are grown mature, lovely women now."

Snape nodded once and glanced at Marrick whom he acknowledged by quietly making eye contact with. He then turned and left quickly, the back of his long black robes swayed behind him as if a wind was carrying it. Tonks wondered how it did that. Surely there was no wind inside the building, but yet Snape always managed for his robes to _sway with the wind_.

"Aurors and an Unspeakable?" Professor McGonagall spoke, fighting back a surprise smile. "It's great to see you three again, all so…successful," she stuttered.

Tonks and Lexi were fighting back laughter as she shook their hands. Surely she never expected them to actually make something of themselves. "It's nice to see you too professor."

Professor McGonagall smiled kindly after she'd gotten used to the idea that two of the school's biggest troublemakers were now standing before her as an Auror and an Unspeakable. Marrick, she knew would become an Auror, he'd worked hard ever since his third year to achieve that wish. But the two young women who stood before her, she couldn't deny, had been a complete surprise. Soon Professor McGonagall bid her farewell and returned to her quarters.

Now the only ones left in the office was the headmaster himself, the three young Ministry officials, and a new professor that they weren't familiar with. The man was tense and had been the last to greet them, politely shaking their hands and held a forced smile as he introduced himself. Tonks wondered what was wrong with him. Sure they were related to Sirius but was he seriously judging them because of it? Even Snape didn't seem to care yet this man was all tense.

"Um…you probably haven't heard of me as opposed to Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall who have been here longer. I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin," he smiled, seeming a little nervous and hesitant.

"Remus would you please show these students…err…to their living quarters?" Dumbledore asked. "You're on the same floor. I do hope it's no trouble."

"No, no trouble at all, professor," Lupin replied as he stiffly gestured for them to follow.

* * *

><p>Tonks was the one walking closest to Professor Lupin, her inability to walk a straight path caused her to occasionally collide with him. She was glad that he didn't say anything and politely straightened her out instead of yell, sneer, or lecture her. But yet he seemed so tense still. His reaction when they mentioned her name and Lexi's had been the most obvious. Either he had something against the Blacks, or just wasn't too comfortable with them. He was strange.<p>

Lexi held her chin high, walking in the all familiar Black walk as she purposely avoided any contact with her arch enemy, Marrick. She didn't know that even her walk bothered Remus.

"Here we are," Remus smiled dryly as they stopped in front of a locked wooden door. Tonks didn't stop fast enough and ended up running into the unsuspecting professor, nearly toppling him over. Surprisingly, he caught her with his strong and solid arms that made her feel all warm suddenly. Remus felt her warmth in his hands. He swallowed hard and put out his best effort to keep away from her. "Watch your step Nymphadora."

"Don't call me Nymphadora. It's Tonks." She wasn't able to stop herself when she suddenly asked, "Why are you so tense? Is it because we're related to Sirius Black?"

"N…no," Remus replied shortly, shying from her eyes. "Y…you're Black's cousins…"

"We're not like him you know. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover," Lexi sighed.

Remus shook his head but didn't look at them, especially at Tonks' strong eyes on him.

"If you don't trust us, there's nothing we could do," Tonks spoke, staring at him intently.

Remus shook his head again. "You're more like him than you know," Remus muttered. Memories suddenly clouded his mind. He remembered how happy Sirius was when each of the girls were born. He even showed off their pictures to Remus and James over the years. Remus remembered how Sirius would say they were best of friends. Sirius always said those two girls had a knack for mischief like Sirius did, and Lexi which was the name Sirius referred to the black haired girl as, walked and smirked the same way he does while Tonks, the pink haired girl, behaved the same way as him sometimes and has the same short temper as him. Remus shook his head. Those two girls reminded him so much of Sirius, the man who had been his best and closest friend until he betrayed them all.

Tonks' jaw dropped and she scowled when she saw that judgmental look in his eyes that she hated seeing. Remus had just compared her to Sirius as well. Family or not, Sirius was still a criminal, and being thought of that way didn't settle well with her. "Fine, if you're going to be that way then just go," Tonks snapped. "We don't need a judgmental professor telling us we're like Sirius Black and judge us because of it." Lexi grabbed Tonks' arm and gave her a look saying _drop-it-it-doesn't-matter_. Lexi was used to it, but Tonks couldn't stand it, especially from someone who seemed so gentle and kind but really wasn't.

Remus bowed his head slightly. "I'm terribly sorry. It's just that Sirius Black have caused me some…grief over the years. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to give you the impression that I was judging you girls," Remus apologized. He honestly had mixed feelings about them, but it didn't seem like a smart or polite thing to say to their faces. He wondered if they were there to help Sirius escape or help him kill Harry. Remus was astounded by his thoughts and behavior, but he couldn't help himself. Sirius really had given him so much grief over the years.

Remus looked at them, mainly Tonks who caught his attention with the vivid pink hair and defiant personality, with sharp and wary eyes. Tonks noticed this and it bugged her.

Tonks sighed and turned sharply away from him. "Good-bye professor," she spoke icily.

As Remus left, Tonks wondered what in the world was wrong with him. Her good impression of him was ruined. She thought he looked and seemed nice, but he was a total _judgmental_ git. It was just like how Lexi and Marrick were. He was a total git too. Actually, he was even worse than Marrick with his noble façade. He was actually apologizing to them for judging them and didn't deny it. She couldn't believe that it hadn't been Snape who outright compared their likeness to Sirius, but a seemingly gentle and kind professor. Remus Lupin, in Tonks' mind, immediately turned from a kind looking man into a judgmental hypocrite. She usually wasn't one to bear grudges, but it was just how Lupin looked at them that irritated her.

"Calm down cuz. You'll get used to it soon enough," Lexi smirked forcibly.

"I can't believe I actually thought he'd be nice. He's so quick to judge us just because we're related to Sirius. What the hell was wrong with him anyways? It's as if Sirius murdered his entire family. I'd understand if Harry Potter acted that way but that guy?" Tonks grumbled.

"Alright," Lexi sighed, frustrated. She noticed Marrick's apologetic eyes and he looked down at her and chose to ignore them before she got herself pulled into his soothing brown eyes she always found attractive. "Just hush up Tonks," she finished.

"How does he even know we're related to Sirius anyways?" Tonks grumbled.

Lexi shrugged. "It happens way too often for me to care anymore. Now come on, get in."

Remus was walking down the hall. Just as he turned out of their view, he paused a moment, his mind lingering on the two girls. He found his thoughts wandering back to Sirius Black, and suddenly his happy mood of being back at Hogwarts turned sour and bitter.

Sirius had betrayed them and caused the death of their best friends. Remus couldn't forgive him, and these two girls he recognized to be related to the traitor were standing right in front of him, reminding him of his unclosed wound. He knew too well that he was in no position to judge anyone, but lycanthrope or not, Remus Lupin was only human. For twelve years he'd hated Sirius Black for taking away everyone he had in one night, for betraying them all. For twelve years Remus had hated Sirius for not keeping his word and being a coward. For twelve years Remus felt forgotten and abandoned by the world, all because Sirius had to betray them and kill James and Lily Potter, causing Remus to lose all his friends in one night.

It was selfish and unfair of him to judge the two girls, Nymphadora Tonks and Alexis Black, just because he hated Sirius, but he couldn't help it. They were similar to Sirius. Every time he looked at them he'd be reminded of his wound and how he lost everything in one night. He'd been alone for twelve long years all because of Sirius Black. And now the git has escaped and his cousins were to catch him. What sort of irony is that?

* * *

><p>Lexi was skeptical of Remus Lupin but she shrugged it off like always. She turned around and closed the door to a rather large and comfy room with two windows, three beds and their bags already placed in the center of the room. It seemed cozy enough.<p>

"You've got to stop that you know," Lexi smirked. "Some people can't help it. Sirius Black, in their mind, is a murderer. It doesn't help that most of the Black family is either mentally insane or in Azkaban as well."

Marrick was surprised at Lexi's suddenly mature statement. He had expected her to react like Tonks instead. Once he looked into her eyes, he noticed, for the very first time that behind that woman's smirk was discomfort and possibly pain. He began to wonder if it had been right of him to treat her so much like a delinquent himself.

"Remus Lupin, that stupid, hypocritical git!" Tonks hissed.

"Alright, don't hate the professor yet," Lexi smirked with an unreadable look in her eyes.

Tonks huffed. "I can't stand it when I'm being judged. It's so…disheartening and uncomfortable. It's as if people are just waiting for you to fail or do something _bad_."

"I know cuz, I know," Lexi nodded.

"Alexis, I'm sorry," Marrick spoke in a low voice that was nearly inaudible.

Lexi shook her head and chuckled. "We'll talk later Kingston," she told him.

They glanced at the room. There was good space for three people to live, three cozy looking beds with drawers, desks, a small table and a stove for coffee and such. She quirked an eyebrow when she realized that there was no bathroom and no dividers for any of the beds.

"You're kidding me," she spoke. "Where's the bathroom?" Lexi questioned.

"And how could they stuff two girls and one guy into a room?" Tonks wondered.

"Relax. I'm not going to do anything to you. Even if you throw yourself at me, rest assured that nothing will happen," Marrick spoke in a calm voice with a lopsided grin present.

"And you wonder why I hate you," Lexi scoffed, shaking her head smiling.

"Merlin! I can't believe I have both Remus Lupin _and_ Snape as teachers! This is even worse than my dreadful third year! And are those my school books?" Tonks exclaimed, seeing a pile of books sitting beside her bags. Her eyes widened. "This mission is terrible!"

Lexi glared at Marrick as she passed him, sitting down on the bed beside Tonks but then laughed. "They're definitely not my books," she teased. "Cheer up cousin."

"How am I supposed to cheer up? Just the way Remus Lupin looked at us is irritating enough. I can't believe he judged us before Snape did! Just because Sirius is a criminal doesn't mean he can just judge us."

"Oh stop complaining. Why do you care about what Remus Lupin thinks so much?"

"I don't know. It's just that when I look at him…ugh. He's going to get his."

"Don't even think about it. You're an Auror now and you're an Unspeakable. We're here on Ministry business, not to mess around. You can't be resorting back to your mischievous ways." Marrick's voice would've been pleasant to hear if he wasn't lecturing them, Lexi thought.

"What are you going to do about it?" Lexi challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Marrick huffed. "This is going to be a long mission."

"Tell me about it. Mad-eye better change this. I can't sleep in the same room as you!" Her eyes narrowed in accusation as the three of them unpacked grumpily. No one was happy about the living arrangement. Hogwarts was such a big castle so surely they had some other room. Lexi and Tonks would rather sleep in a broom cupboard than that place with Marrick.

"I hate this. Mad-Eye is so dead when this mission is over," Tonks grumbled. She was dreading the sunrise tomorrow. Not only did she have to share a room with Marrick whom she was never comfortable with, Tonks also had to attend class as a student at the mercy of Severus Snape who _hated_ her guts, and now Remus Lupin too who was skeptical and judgmental of her just because she was related to Sirius Black. "We better catch Sirius Black fast or this is going to be a long year," she continued to grumble, throwing her clothes and belongings out of her bag.

* * *

><p>How was it? Good? Bad? Utterly Terrible?<p> 


	2. Different School Days

**Author's Note:**

I just realize it's so hard writing Tonks and Remus disliking each other! Ugh they're a bit OOC but I hope you'll bear with me. Well if you think about it, if you're in Remus' shoes you'd be a bit confused and OOC as well, what with ur best friend being responsible for the death of another best friend and all. Oh nevermind then.

So Tonks still doesn't like Remus very much...well that will change soon...very soon ;D

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 02 – Different School Days<strong>

After two years away from it, Tonks never expected her first night at Hogwarts to be so terrible. She still couldn't get Remus Lupin out of her mind, wondering why he was so tense and judgmental of her and her cousin. She couldn't sleep comfortably when she knew that she was sharing a room with Marrick, a fellow Auror but not one she was comfortable with. Lexi though, somehow slept with ease. It was perhaps she was much lazier than Tonks.

Morning came and Tonks dragged herself out of bed with bloodshot eyes. That mission was probably the worst she could ever ask for, but she wasn't going to back out now that she's already so big a part of it. Tonks wandered over to the place where the small stove had been and found that beside the cabinet, there was a wooden door none of them had noticed. Perhaps the events of last night had clouded all their common senses.

Curious, Tonks was about to open it to find a well equipped bathroom and smiled. The front door to the room suddenly burst open. She jumped and watched in shock as Mad-Eye and Silvia walked in. Mad-Eye didn't look too apologetic, but Silvia kindly whispered an apology. Lexi was still fast asleep, hugging her pillow while revealing smooth her bare shoulders.

"Wake her up, we need to talk quickly before we start the day," Moody grunted.

Marrick was already poking at Lexi to wake her up. "Hey, get up," he moaned.

"Poking her is not going to work. She's a heavy sleeper and is dead lazy sometimes."

Lexi's head snapped up, her eyes darting frantically around the room with a bemused look as Tonks pounced on her. She shrieked once she saw Mad-Eye's morning face and pushed Tonks off. She sat up and hugged her pillow. "Bloody hell! Talk about a wakeup call!"

Moody grunted and ignored her. "Today's your first day. Do it well and…"

"Mad-Eye can you change up the groups? Sorry but I honestly don't feel comfortable having to share this living space with Marrick," Tonks interrupted.

He grumbled and rolled his eye, his mechanical one glaring at her. "I put you all in these groups deliberately. Marrick's calm and can keep you two in order. No changes," he growled.

"I don't enjoy sharing a room with Mad-Eye and Rookwood either," Silvia shrugged.

Tonks suddenly felt like what she went through was nothing compared to Silvia's struggles. Having to share a living space with Mad-Eye sounded…scary.

"Morph. We need to see what you look like if Silvia will be playing your mother."

She yawned and rolled her eyes once again. Lexi shoved her head back into her pillow to get some more sleep just as Tonks scrunched up her face to make herself look younger, like a thirteen year old girl. She shortened her height and decreased the size of her chest and overall body to match that of a thirteen year old. When she was done, Tonks was satisfied with herself. Her hair was still pink and her face overall looked the same, just with less age wear and tear.

"Change your hair to a more natural color," Moody grunted.

"Why? The pink looks good on her," Lexi spoke, muffled through her pillow.

"Pink hair _is _natural to her," Silvia smiled. "I'd love to have a rebel of a daughter."

Moody grunted and tossed her a package that contained robes. Tonks wondered how she would look in red and gold as she examined the various pieces of clothing. "Here's your schedule. Harry Potter is in all of your classes and you should be able to recognize him."

"I can't believe I'm going through with this," she groaned and memorized her schedule.

"Alexis and Marrick will pass as sixth or seventh year students when they're not under the Ghost Necklace. Use it to get into the breakfast feast," Mad-Eye added before leaving.

"Thank you," Marrick grumbled, barely audible as he got up and looked for clothes.

"At least he's got somewhat of a heart," Lexi mumbled, falling asleep again.

"Ugh get up you lazy contradiction!" Tonks sighed, pulling Lexi up from her uncomfortable slouch on the bed. "I need you to be up and ready! I want breakfast!"

"Merlin. I'm glad I didn't share a dorm with _you_ when we were in school."

"I'll go to the boy's bathroom and get changed," Marrick spoke, looking more awake and seeming polite now. "I'll wait for you girls in the Great Hall."

Tonks watched as he left and she slapped Alexis' bare boney shoulders, causing the lazy black haired girl to snap up. "What the hell was that for?" she whined, rubbing her shoulder.

"Get ready!" Tonks replied. "God, I'm going to hate this mission."

Tonks pulled Lexi over and showed her that their living space actually had a bathroom, the unnoticeable door that stood beside the wooden cabinet. The two girls fought over the sink as they tried to brush their teeth. The bathroom was small but clean and very usable. Lexi eventually had to retreat to brushing her teeth in the shower while Tonks hogged the sink. Tonks smirked as Lexi grumbled while attempting to brush her teeth in the shower. Lexi sighed as they got out. She looked through the package and smiled when she found Ravenclaw robes.

"You're lucky. You get to eat and then you and Marrick just disappear for the day. You don't technically have to attend classes and such," Tonks whined, struggling with the tie.

"Hey, it can't be that bad. I hate Kingston and I'm not complaining, so come on."

Lexi smirked as they exited the room and wandlessly disillusioned the door. She slipped her Ravenclaw robes on and took a deep breath of Hogwarts' morning air. Tonks had to admit she did miss the old castle and was kind of glad to be back even though she would have to deal with Snape _and_ Lupin who both no doubt hate her, _just_ because she was related to Sirius. She sighed and ran after Lexi, getting used to the disguise and quite enjoying the idea of being back.

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the Great Hall, Tonks was astounded by the familiar sight. She smiled as Tonks pulled Lexi into the Great Hall while her cousin was busy flirting with a few guys who caught her eyes when they passed by. Tonks knew that Lexi caught their attention as well because they were following, but she kept in mind that they had a mission, unlike Lexi.<p>

"Lexi for god's sake, you're too old for them!"

"Age is just a number," Lexi smiled. "Besides, I'm lonely and available," she teased.

The two girls suddenly spotted Marrick sitting comfortably at the Gryffindor table, looking so belonging there. He was easily chatting with two red headed boys who were twins. Tonks remembered they were Fred and George Weasley. She'd met them once when she and Charlie were in their seventh years. Hopefully the twins wouldn't remember her. Marrick was also turning to talk to a few others. One they all recognized to be Harry Potter by his scar.

"You're late," Marrick smiled. Lexi was surprised. He actually sounded nice and cute.

"Well the stairs gave Tonks here a little bit of trouble," Lexi teased. "Dead clumsy."

Tonks was smiling as they were invited to sit down on the two empty seats that seemed to have been saved for them. Perhaps it was just the feeling of being back at Hogwarts, but Tonks felt excited again, as if she really _was_ a third year, back in school. The idea of having to do homework could wait until later to kill her. For the moment, she was just enjoying breakfast at Hogwarts with Lexi. Tonks pushed Lexi into the empty seat beside Marrick and grinned evilly.

"Oh a Ravenclaw, you like them smart girls eh Marrick?" the twins teased.

Lexi shot Marrick a death glare but Tonks whispered, "Remember, don't make a scene."

"I'd rather be at the Ravenclaw table," Lexi grumbled.

"Don't mess things up this early," Marrick whispered.

"You're a bit too close," Lexi warned under her breath as she sat between them.

"Nice hair!" a red headed girl across from Tonks smiled. "Did you dye it yourself?"

Tonks smiled and grabbed a piece of toast. "Yeah! Thanks."

"I'm Ginny Weasley. You don't look like a first year. Did you transfer here?"

A pretty girl with bushy brown hair smiled at her as well. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Wotcher, I'm Tonks. Uh…" she tried to remember the story Mad-Eye made her go with to tell the girls. "My mum, Professor Silvia White, just transferred here so I came with from…"

"Beauxbatons," Lexi's witty quick thinking helped her out. Tonks pushed her playfully.

"Wicked," Ginny smiled. "Did they let you have pink hair there?"

"Oh, are you two friends?" Hermione asked, possibly noticing the interaction between Tonks and Lexi as she pointed to them. Tonks turned to see Lexi shoving a piece of toast in Marrick's mouth as she turned from him, earning claps and wolf whistles from the twins.

"No I dyed it over the summer and yes, this is my cousin, Lexi."

"Lexi White," Lexi smiled, following Tonks' act. "Sixth year in case you're wondering."

"You're in the same year as Marrick then?" Ginny smiled and winked, pointing to him.

"Yes," Marrick smiled and tried to act friendly with Lexi. Tonks found the sight amusing.

The rest of breakfast they spent talking with all the kids, carefully learning their names and a little bit about them. They finally got to talk to Mr. Harry Potter himself, and Tonks would be jumping up and down screaming that she met the boy who lived, if not for the mission.

Breakfast went by well. They had managed to make up a story that Tonks' mother was Silvia White and Tonks' name is Nymphadora Tonks, using her dad's last name. Lexi still was Tonks' cousin but her last name changed from Black to White, ironic, just to prevent suspicion and worry amongst the students. Tonks was surprised to see Marrick act so friendly and realized that they never did sit down and talk with him before in school. They were only caught by him out of bed and sneered at each other when they were in school. They didn't really know him.

"Do you want another piece of toast shoved down your throat?" Lexi threatened Marrick.

"Children," Tonks sighed. "Now what do we do? I never thought we'd get this far."

Marrick folded his arms and shifted his weight to the side as he looked at Lexi, waiting. She was the Unspeakable of the group and surely she knew what she was doing. Tonks began to wonder if this mission would work at all to keep Harry Potter safe.

"Hurry up, Harry's leaving," Marrick whispered, impatient as Lexi searched her pockets.

"Alright, jeez," she sighed. "Here Tonks put this on." She placed a silver locket that was shaped in a small music cord around Tonks' neck. It looked pretty and was something Tonks would wear. "This little thing is called Apollo's Chords. It will allow you to hear and see us when we're under the Ghost Necklace," Lexi explained as she pulled out a long silver chain etched with various Greek symbols on its side.

"Can I talk to you guys?"

"Uh…no," Lexi smiled. "You can talk and we can hear you. But it will be like you're talking to yourself so it is highly recommended that you _don't_ do that. Now go, we'll follow."

Lexi already slipped the Ghost Necklace around her neck and Marrick's as Tonks realized they would probably have to be that close for the rest of the day. She smirked at Lexi and Marrick's expression when they realized it and silently protested through various facial expressions. It was going to be hard not to talk to them when she can see and hear them. Tonks noticed that when they passed by a mirror, instead of seeing Lexi and Marrick, there was only a reflection of herself. The Ghost Necklace really was something.

* * *

><p>Morning passed by easily for their first day of classes. Tonks would sit in the classes and actually feel like a student again as she focused on her morph and not falling asleep. Marrick and Lexi would be stuck walking one foot from each other as they patrolled the halls around her and tried to look for anything suspicious. So far, on the first day, there was nothing that should be worried about. Tonks sat quietly through the classes, knowing most things by heart because of her Auror background. Often Hermione and Harry would speak with her and she'd help them out, receiving gratitude and bright, thankful smiles in return which she found she quite liked. She didn't have time to cause any mischief, but Tonks wondered how long it was until she does.<p>

When she had potions again with Snape, she had been unable to control herself from back talking to him, earning herself deducted house points already. By the end of class, Tonks had earned herself a detention and uncontrollable fits of laughter from Lexi.

Her last class of the afternoon was Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and she dreaded going in there. What used to be her favorite class was now taught by a judgmental git known as Remus Lupin. Tonks groaned as she showed up, being invited to sit beside Hermione.

"Remember…don't make a scene with Professor Lupin. And don't hex him either. You're supposed to be the third year Gryffindor who doesn't know much about spells, not an almighty and powerful Auror," Lexi teased, leaning against the wall beside Tonks, standing as far away from Marrick as the chain around their neck possibly allowed, which wasn't very far.

Tonks rolled her eyes and swung her bag over so that it hit Lexi in the stomach.

The class finally began just as the shabby and young professor appeared in front of the classroom. She glared at him and he definitely noticed but tried to pay no mind to her. Instead, Remus Lupin continued up to the board to begin his first lesson which was an introduction to stunning spells and how to cast them.

"Alright class, I'd like you to turn your books to page fifty-two," Professor Lupin spoke.

Tonks yawned as she took her sweet time, turning the book one page at a time. Stunning spells were elementary to her by that age. She noticed Hermione Granger watching her with an amused expression. Suddenly, with a non-verbal incantation and a quick wave of his wand, Remus Lupin flipped Tonks' book to the page for her. He noticed that the way she flipped her book was too much like Sirius whenever he didn't want to do something. Remus winced at the memory, remembering back to his school days where things seemed so much better than where he was now. Seeing Tonks kept reminding him of Sirius. Their nature were so alike, it was like the personality ran in the Black's bloodline. When she looked up, he smiled innocently at her while she glared at him. Hermione giggled beside her. Remus turned around and suppressed a sigh, trying hard not to think of the man who was once his best friend.

"That judgmental git," Tonks hissed under her breath so Hermione couldn't hear.

"Don't make a scene," Marrick reminded her kindly, much kinder than his usual tone.

"It looks like Hermione's the older one here," Lexi smirked.

"Tonks we'll be patrolling now. Please remember not to make a scene and at least make it look believable you're a student," Marrick spoke to her. Tonks raised an eyebrow at how nice he suddenly sounded and watched them vanish through a wall.

The class continued on, boring Tonks to no end. By the middle of the class, the shabby professor who Tonks was convinced hated her but kept up a hypocritical and fair façade for the students asked them all to stand up. With a wave of his wand, he pushed all their desks and belongings to the side of the room. With another silent wave, he summoned up wooden targets for them to practice on and instructed them to do so with the stunning spell he'd just taught.

"Professor Lupin actually knows what he's doing," she smiled.

"You must not have had any decent teachers then," Tonks commented as she forced herself to send a very weak, very pathetic red stunning spell that barely hit the target.

"We had Gilderoy Lockhart as a teacher last year," Hermione commented.

"Merlin that must have sucked."

"Yes, so Professor Lupin is a lot better."

The end of class was drawing near and Tonks was getting irritated. It never occurred to her that having to purposely lower the power and effect of her stunning spell was so hard. It had become so natural to her that being aware when she was casting it and having to say the incantation instead of using a non-verbal approach was so difficult. She grunted almost like Mad-Eye and continued putting up her third year façade just because Hermione was so watchful.

Remus walked around the room, aiding the students who seemed like they were having trouble. He couldn't help but notice the disguised Auror who wasn't enjoying the lesson very much. He'd had time and realized why she must not like him very much. Last night, he had accidentally allowed his feelings towards Sirius to get the better of him. Remus sighed; he was still human after all and couldn't help but feel some grudge towards Sirius for managing to turn his life upside down in one night. But accidentally allowing his opinions pass onto Tonks wasn't what he intended. Remus felt guilty. Perhaps he didn't give too good of an impression last night. He needed to reach even grounds with her, and apologize, or at least make it up to her somehow.

When he looked at Tonks again, Remus couldn't help but notice. She was beautiful and he could see through her morph with ease. Now a stronger part of him felt incredibly guilty for being so terse and judgmental of her, just because she was Sirius' cousin.

He hesitantly walked over to the Auror with the vivid pink hair and tried to smile kindly at her. Much to his dismay, it came out as sort of a grimace when he noticed her short temperedness was awfully similar to Sirius. Remus winced from the memory of Sirius and him laughing together. He cleared his throat discreetly. He wanted to be nice to her to make up for the bad impression he had given off. After his foolishness, he felt like it was the right thing to do.

"Are you having trouble Nymphadora?" he asked, knowing it must be hard for her to put up such a façade when stunning spells were second nature to her.

"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora," she replied tersely through clenched teeth.

Remus nodded and stood behind them. He still felt awfully guilty for being such a _judgmental git_ as she called him. When he got close, Remus' eyes allowed him to see her as a pretty twenty year old Auror who was smart and beautiful. He was shocked with himself and when he got closer he could smell her scent, lavender chamomile. He forced himself to focus. Tonks was way too young for him to think of her that way. Besides, she was Sirius' cousin, it wasn't right. "Yes, Hermione can you cast one for me?" he asked.

"_Stupefy_," Hermione spoke, sending an average, shaky, but very clear stunning spell towards the center of the wooden target, causing it to wobble a bit.

"Very good," Remus smiled. "Now Nymph…Tonks," he corrected when he caught her death glare at him. "It would be easier if you just relax a little," he spoke, giving her what looked like an understanding look. He had hoped it was comforting but didn't know his results.

Tonks huffed. It was only good in theory. After her training with Mad-Eye, she had to force herself to emit that little weakling of a stunner just to pull off the third year façade. She glared at him and proceeded to cast another spell. "_Stupefy_," she mumbled and cast a weak spell.

"You need to mean it," Hermione reminded kindly.

"Yes, try it again Nymphadora…I mean Tonks," Remus nodded, not liking having to call her by her surname. It was too short, too abrupt a name for her and didn't fit.

Tonks glanced up at the clock and realized that within a few seconds, the class would end. She could either send another weakling of a stunner and possibly make herself look stupid in front of them again just to pull off her façade, or blow it up in Remus Lupin's face. Tonks glared at him. She didn't like the man and the hypocritical act he was giving her.

She turned around from Hermione and Remus to collect her bags. Then, standing from the side, she flicked her wand and sent a carefully aimed stunner at the wooden board, blowing it up to pieces. Remus and Hermione looked between her and the board with surprise, Hermione a little more than Remus. Tonks realized she'd forgotten to say the incantation and it came off as a non-verbal spell as well which was supposedly too advanced for third year students.

"Way to go," Lexi clapped from out of nowhere. "Nice one cuz," she sighed.

"Nymphadora, can you to stay a minute after class?" Remus asked, trying a smile.

As the other students left, Tonks watched as Hermione gave her a kind smile and followed Ron and Harry. It appears Harry had seen her non-verbal stunner as well and was grinning at her with wide, excited eyes. Tonks waved to them, picked up her bag, loosened her tie, and stood in front of the professor. She unknowingly allowed her morph to slip a little and grew a bit taller and older as she looked at him.

"Yes professor?" she questioned, sounding like her mischievous self a few years ago.

Soon Tonks was back to looking like her twenty year old self, wearing robes that luckily magically expanded with her growth. Remus felt his heart skip a beat when he admitted to himself how beautiful she was. "I understand it must be difficult for you, having trained under Alastor, but I ask you to please cooperate with me," he smiled and tilted his head.

"I _am_ cooperating," she growled. Tonks was close enough to him to see clearly his every feature. The scars that crossed his face made him look unique. He was handsome and attractive but with subtlety, something Tonks liked. Remus also had gentle blue eyes that Tonks noticed. She knew she would've really liked him, if only he wasn't so judgmental of her. She still remembered the hurting look in his eyes that angered her. "Please stop calling me Nymphadora."

He nodded but didn't respond to that request. "And, Professor Snape had informed me that he's given you a detention this morning. Tonight you'll be serving detention with me, so show up here after dinner," he smiled and nodded before awkwardly walking away.

Lexi and Marrick had already taken off the Ghost Necklace and immediately stood at least ten feet away from each other. Tonks growled at her cousin who was trying to hold back fits of laughter. She didn't know where Lexi and Marrick went during classes, but even though they hated each other, it couldn't have been nearly as bad as what _she_ had to go through.

"Ok, time for dinner. Don't expect me to serve detention with you though," Lexi smirked.

* * *

><p>At dinner, Tonks was feeling a lot happier at the trays and dishes of food that sat in front of her, her mind returning back to her Hogwarts days as she dug in, starving. Lexi sat between her and Marrick again with Fred and George constantly teasing the two as if they liked each other like teenage boy and girl crushes. Ginny was throwing Lexi interesting looks as she tried to find out Lexi's feelings for Marrick. Tonks luckily, was pulled into a different conversation.<p>

"Tonks, how did you cast that non-verbal stunner?" Harry asked, truthfully amazed.

"I've read about those," Hermione spoke, receiving an eye roll from Ron that gave Tonks the impression that she says those exact words a lot. "Non-verbal and wandless magic are said to be too advanced to be taught to third years and are only taught to fifth year students and up."

She didn't expect having to give an explanation, but her long training sessions with Mad-Eye Moody wasn't all for nothing. Surprisingly, the old codger prepared her for a situation like that. "It wasn't intentional," Tonks lied. _It was so intentional. If only that thing could've burst into flames._ "As witches and wizards, you know how sometimes, things happen and you can't explain why? It's kind of like that," Tonks explained, satisfied when she received believing nods.

"Still, so you have to serve detention with Professor Lupin tonight?" Harry questioned.

"He's not bad. It's better than Snape," Ron added.

"Ginny told us," Hermione added. "Lexi told her. And Lexi said you told her."

_Ah the speed of gossip,_ Tonks nodded and discreetly stepped on Lexi's food under the table, causing her to flinch. "Oh, well detention on my first day, is that a record?" Tonks smiled.

"No," the twins cut in together. "We got five detentions on the first day last year."

"That's even better than us," Lexi smiled.

"We didn't start on the first day," Tonks whispered, reminding her.

"No, you two girls start on your second week," Marrick added.

"Hey Kingston, why do you always have to butt in on other people's business?"

"No reason," Marrick smirked. "But you've got some whipped cream on your upper lip."

Alexis scowled at him as she tried to wipe it off. Tonks noticed that Lexi had missed, somehow, and the cream was still on her face. She was about to wipe it for her dear cousin, but Marrick beat her to it. He wiped it off gently, stroking her upper lip with gentle fingers, but still received a glare from Lexi, though Tonks noticed that her glare was beginning to lose its hate.

* * *

><p>Serving detention with Remus Lupin must have been the worse form of punishment Tonks had ever faced. It was even worse than the time she and Alexis had to wash the wall on the fourth floor in which they had vandalized, and that job took all night. She slouched at the chair beside the professor's desk as Remus handed her a stack of papers that he needed her to sort through, placing them into different years and organizing them into alphabetical order. Tonks grumbled constantly as she did her job and would often throw glares at him while he attempted to familiarize himself with the various objects around his new classroom.<p>

"I swear this bloke is even worse than Lexi," Tonks grumbled. "At least I never had to sort anything into alphabetical order for her. Whoever marries this guy must have been cursed for ten lives and had the worst luck of the century," Tonks continued with her rows of insults.

Remus pretended like he couldn't hear her and kept a small, meaningless smile on his face. He was all too used to the insults and was lucky that at least she didn't find out about his rather _dark_ secret yet, one which used to be referred to as his _furry little problem_. He let out a few very long sighs when he caught some of her insults and actually felt sad and offended by them. She definitely was a lot like Sirius which made him hurt even more. He hated Sirius, but a very small part of him missed the guy too. Sirius was the only living friend Remus had left.

Tonks suddenly thought of a wandless and non-verbal jinx Lexi taught her in her fifth year that could possibly amuse her that night. She sat waiting, holding papers in her hand as she waited for the professor to walk near a book.

Neville Longbottom walked into the room, glancing at Tonks and timidly smiling to her before he rushed over to Lupin who stood beside a pile of thick text books. He was asking the professor something inaudible to her. After a few minutes, he turned around. Just as the boy was far enough away, Tonks jinxed the books to suddenly come to life and attack Professor Lupin.

Her eyes narrowed however, when the books flew up in the air and yet didn't surprise the young professor. Neville turned around at the sound and saw Professor Lupin easily grabbing the animated books out of the air, muttering some counter spell under his breath that Tonks couldn't quite hear. Tonks cursed and propped her head on her elbows, waiting for Neville to leave so she could find another discreet way to torture the man who seemed like he hated her.

"Nymphadora, detention again tomorrow," Remus sighed just as Neville left.

"What?" Tonks stood up, outraged. "Professor Lupin this is hardly reasonable. I am…"

"Yes I know you are an Auror, but I still have to be fair and unfortunately for you, Neville was still present. So I'm afraid you'll have to serve detention with me again tomorrow."

For the rest of detention, Tonks returned to her cursing of him under her breath, rambling because she was so frustrated. "That noble prat," she mumbled. "I can't believe I ever thought of him as attractive. His personality sucks. Those gentle eyes are just for fooling people and that kind professor look is all a fake." She was surprised when she suddenly began rambling so much. Tonks grumbled. "Whoever marries him has the worst luck of the century."

Remus discreetly smiled when he heard her ramble more. He thought she was an interesting girl, and he didn't care whether they were insults, she at least complemented him a bit through it which made him feel a lot better. Also, he still felt awful about judging her so quickly.

"Can I leave now?" Tonks questioned after another silent, awkward hour passed.

"In a few minutes," Remus replied. "I can't let you leave until it is exactly nine."

"Judgmental git," Tonks pouted, resting her head on her hand.

"I apologize for being such a…_judgmental git_ when we first met. I never thought my emotions would get the better of me and become so obvious. Again, I'm sorry Nymphadora."

Tonks literally growled when he used her first name. His voice was soft and when he said Nymphadora it wasn't as irritating as it always sounded, but it didn't mean she liked being called it. "Don't. Call me. Nymphadora," she snapped. "And apology not accepted. Do you know how many times I've seen that skeptical look on me before and do you know how much it hurts every time?" Tonks grumbled and rushed out of the room quickly when the clock finally hit nine.

* * *

><p>"The first day of classes and there were no signs of Black anywhere outside or inside the castle," Kingsley spoke up, reporting his findings with folded arms.<p>

"Nothing noticeably wrong with the student body and there's nothing that needed to be paid special attention to. Also, no one suspects the new teacher," Silvia smiled and winked.

"Marrick, what about your team?" Mad-Eye grunted, turning his attention to them.

"Tonks had some problems with a few professors, but overall, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Though Hermione Granger was using a time turner to get to three classes at once. That's all that was noted," Marrick nodded.

"Oh we also need to clear this story with you," Alexis added. "We told the students that Tonks and I live with Silvia. Silvia's my aunt, Tonks' mother and we transferred from Beauxbatons Academy over to Hogwarts. In case the students decide to ask you."

"Noted, thank you," Silvia smiled. "A few students did ask me about my pink haired daughter. Tonks, I hope to don't mind but I accidentally let it slip to them that you're a metamorphmagus," she smiled apologetically.

"It's fine. I've gotten used to it in school. No difference now," Tonks replied dryly.

Lexi smirked. "So how was detention with Professor Lupin?" Tonks scowled at her.

"Tonks try and stay out of trouble. We need you elsewhere instead of serving detention," Mad-Eye grunted in his normal hoarse reminding voice.

"It's not like I particularly enjoyed it. And besides, it's hardly fair. I'm twenty, out of school, an Auror, and yet I have to serve detention on a mission, and get deducted house points."

"All to stir less suspicion from the students," Mad-Eye grunted. "Now go get some rest."

"Can't Tonks and I sleep in the normal dormitories?" Alexis pleaded.

"No because soon you'll have to patrol during night shifts as well," Moody replied.

"Am I really that unbearable? I've learned to live with you two haven't I?" Marrick asked just as the other Aurors and Unspeakables began leaving the small empty classroom they met in.

"Yes! Ginny thinks we have a crush on each other!" Lexi spoke as they entered the hall.

"We knew we'd catch you three together," Hermione smiled and ran up to them.

"Is it true?" Ginny asked excitedly, receiving questioning glances from all three of them.

"That you're a metamorphmagus!" Hermione smiled. "I've read about them. They're very unique and have such a cool ability!"

Tonks smiled and nodded. "Yep, watch this," she spoke as she scrunched her face up to change her nose from her natural state to that of a pig's snout.

"That's so cool!" Ginny jumped. "Can you do a bird?" she asked as Tonks changed back.

"Oh, here comes all the requests," Lexi smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Ginny," Hermione reminded her. "Sorry Tonks, we just had to make sure," she smiled. "See you tomorrow at breakfast. Um, Lexi, Marrick, you two aren't prefects, are you?"

Lexi scoffed and elbowed Marrick teasingly. "Nope," she smiled.

Ginny winked at her yet again. "I saw that," she smiled before leaving with Hermione.

"Ugh, see what you do?" Lexi sighed and walked away with Tonks.

"Me?" Marrick replied, laughing as he gave her a _how-dare-you-blame-this-on-me_ look.

* * *

><p>It was a few minutes pass curfew and Tonks found herself lying back in her bed, the one in the far corner beside a large window in the room she had to share with two others. Lexi and Marrick were arguing how long they each get to use the bathroom as Lexi had spent the last hour in there with her shower and Marrick only took twenty minutes. Tonks tried to drown them out as she rested her head on the headboard and took out her CD player her dad had given to her.<p>

"You still have homework to do," Lexi teased, shoving a bag filled with school books onto Tonks' bed, trying hard not to laugh. She took out her wand and twirled it in her hands as she sat back, searched for her notebook in her bag, and proceeded to enjoy Tonks' suffering.

"Oh you've _got_ to be kidding me!" Tonks groaned.

"All to make the act seem real my friend," Lexi laughed, enjoying this way too much.

* * *

><p>Is it bad or utterly terrible? Honestly I have a minor case of insomnia and I'm up at three in the morning posting this so I'm a bit skeptical of this chapter. Leave a review and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading! ^_^ P.S. I hope to be able to finish this fan fiction ^_^ Because as a reader, I understand that it's frustrating once you start to read a fan fiction and yet it doesn't get finished, yes it's very frustrating as a reader for me. So hopefully I'll finish this, um no promises on when though. Please bear with me ^_^ Thanks again!<p> 


	3. You Don't Know Me

**Chapter 03 – You Don't Know Me**

In no time at all, a week back at Hogwarts had passed them by with ease. So far, it seemed that nothing dangerous was lurking in the castle, yet. Mad-Eye still wanted them to be there, at least until they caught Black and could assure Mr. Potter his safety. Tonks still had to pose as the third year Gryffindor girl, but was allowed to morph back to normal when there are no students around. She'd attend classes, try not to sleep through them, and would occasionally follow Mr. Potter and friends on their mischievous acts which she quite enjoyed. It was as if school was entirely back in session for Tonks and she had fallen three years into the past.

That evening they were sitting huddled together at dinner, Harry telling Tonks about how terrible his muggle relatives were while Hermione and Ron argued over her pet cat and his pet rat. Fred and George were scheming something that involved fireworks while Ginny was busy teasing Lexi about how close she and Marrick were getting. Tonks too saw how close Lexi and Marrick were getting as Lexi no longer shot death glares at him anymore. They simmered down to just simple glares that Tonks usually get herself.

"Harry you've got to be joking! They made you live under the stairs?" Tonks asked.

Harry nodded too many times. "Yeah and when I did get a bedroom last year, they caged my window! Ron, Fred and George had to rescue me!"

"That's just cruel! You know they could be arrested for that?"

"I know! But I don't think Dumbledore will like it if I call the police on them," he sighed.

Tonks laughed, trying hard not to laugh too hard like Lexi always pointed out.

"You have detention again tonight Tonks? So you can't join us?" Ginny asked.

Tonks made a face and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. I should've never followed Fred and George into filling the girl's bathroom with dung bombs."

"Hey it's not that bad," one of the twins spoke. Tonks still couldn't tell the difference between them, and it didn't help when they would purposely confuse her. "We heard from Charlie that two girls in his year placed a dung bomb in every book in the library and managed to blow the whole place up."

"That was a legend. They're like the Marauders, but in a different sort of way," another twin spoke. "And Moaning Myrtle said they nearly burnt down the Whomping Willow!"

Tonks and Lexi turned to each other and grinned, fist pumping under the table. Marrick shook his head and sighed, remembering when he had to chase after them during that incident.

"They're creative," Ginny smiled, causing Lexi to laugh.

"Tonks you're lucky. You have detention with Lupin," the twins spoke together.

She scoffed. "I'd trade him for Snape any day."

"Really? Trade me!" one twin spoke. "I have Snape! I _hate_ Snape!"

Tonks shook her head and smiled. "I already tried asking for a trade," she sighed. "Lexi how come you don't ever get in trouble?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's kinda hard to do anything with this bloke breathing down my neck," Lexi stressed.

"We have other things to worry about," Marrick reminded her in more of a friendly tone.

"Oh yes, you guys have to worry about all your classes and the N.E.W.T. exams next year," Hermione nodded, turning to Lexi and Marrick who were slapping each others' hands under the table, Lexi meaning it more than Marrick as he just teased her.

"Yeah," Lexi nodded and smiled.

"When did you start getting friendly with Marrick?" Tonks asked quietly.

Lexi shrugged. "I'm not friendly with him. Even if I am it's just an act. Ginny is _convinced_ that there is something going on between us. It's bugging the hell out of me!"

Tonks stifled a laugh as Lexi squirmed when Marrick tickled her side. "Don't be a heartbreaker," she reminded her cousin in a teasing tone and winked, causing Ginny to notice.

"You were a heartbreaker?" Ginny asked, interested. "This love story is so good!"

"Love story?" Lexi asked, quirking an eyebrow. "We have no love. It's more like hate."

"We have a love hate relationship," Marrick nodded, continuing to tickle her as she laughed and held his hands away. Tonks couldn't help but laugh at them, getting back into the school spirit with a teenage boy likes girl story.

* * *

><p>Again she was stuck serving detention with Remus Lupin. Tonks thought that the headmaster was really out to get her because all the detentions she had that week and later on in the month had been scheduled with Professor Lupin. Before entering his classroom, Tonks grumbled and scowled at the door. She didn't want to see the man. And she definitely wasn't in the mood to help him sort through papers again. Tonks was actually beginning to miss hectic Auror training with Mad-Eye. At least it was more fun.<p>

"Ah Auror Tonks, how nice of you to join me on this lovely evening," the professor spoke, bent over from behind his desk.

Tonks scowled at him. He'd chosen to greet her that way since the third day, giving off the impression that he was the cool and carefree professor. She still saw him as a judgmental hypocrite. Tonks let her morph slip back to her natural state, keeping her pink hair. She looked at Remus Lupin for a moment, wondering why he acted so weird towards her and Sirius Black. Even people at the Ministry didn't tense every time Black was mentioned.

"What do I have to do tonight?" she asked him in a yawn.

"I seem to have found a Boggart hiding in my classroom somewhere and am trying to catch it for tomorrow's class. Can you please help me?"

Looking for a Boggart seemed more interesting than sitting beside him and filing papers in dead silence for two hours. Tonks' Auror instincts finally had a chance to surface as she kept still in one place, her eyes analyzing the room in search of anything that stood out. The professor however, chose the more hands-on approach and was walking around the room.

From the corner of her eyes, she spotted something ghost like, ethereal almost, lurking in the darkness of a large gap created by two bookshelves of the professor's. Tonks swallowed hard. Through training, she knew exactly what her Boggart would turn to and mentally prepared herself for the image, just like Mad-Eye had taught.

"Professor, where do you want to store the Boggart?" Tonks asked, raising her wand.

Remus turned around, surprised with the sudden chilling voice that Tonks had used. He spotted her approaching a gap between two bookshelves, wand raised, and knew she'd spotted the Boggart. He was surprised at how fast she was and rushed over in silent steps to stand beside her. Remus waved his wand lightly towards a large empty wardrobe, opening it and waited.

"In there if you will please," he replied in a calm voice.

Tonks glanced at him for one second, finding his calm voice soothing. Her eyes returned to the Boggart and widened when from the darkness suddenly appeared the image of her Boggart, the thing she feared most. Remus was curious to see what form Tonks' Boggart would take, but he found himself in shock when the Boggart took the form of Bellatrix Lestrange, a woman, Death Eater, he recognized from the First Wizarding War. Before Tonks could cast the spell to banish a Boggart, Remus found himself unexpectedly in front of her, pushing himself in between Tonks and Bellatrix, his heartbeat rising.

Her path was blocked by Remus' body as he held his arms wide open as if protecting her from the Boggart form of Bellatrix Lestrange. Tonks felt a chill run up her back but a warm feeling enveloped her body when the professor pushed himself between her and the thing she feared most. Her eyes were bemused, but her lips quivered up into a faint smile as the Boggart began shifting into what Remus feared most and turning away from Bellatrix.

It confused her when the Boggart suddenly shifted into a round glowing orb, hiding behind a shroud of grey smoke like thing. Without a second's hesitation, Remus flicked his wand at the Boggart, casting the spell he was about to teach tomorrow.

"_Riddikulus_," he spoke. Tonks watched as the silver glowing orb, looking kind of like the moon, shifted into a deflating balloon and whirled around the room as Remus chuckled. Tonks couldn't manage to laugh after being so confused. With his wand, Remus guided the Boggart into the wardrobe and once inside he immediately locked it. "Well that was a bit unexpected," he sighed and turned to her. "Nymphadora…err…Tonks, sorry," he corrected once her bemused glare turned icy. "I'm sorry for asking but why does your Boggart take the form of Bellatrix Lestrange?" he asked.

Tonks huffed. "There's nothing odd about fearing your deranged aunt," she replied. "Why did yours take the form of a silver glowing orb then?" Tonks asked. She was beginning to think it looked more like the full moon which confused her even more.

"Fair enough," he nodded. "I was just curious because…"

"Because Bellatrix Lestrange is a Death Eater famous for her fetish use of the Cruciatus Curse?" Tonks laughed bitterly. "There's another criminal for you to relate me with and judge me from." She sounded hurt, which drove Remus insane. "How do you even know so much about my messed up family anyways? I can see through your act, Professor Lupin," she spoke tersely, drawing out his name in an attempt to be sneering like Snape. "You're expecting me to fail at my job and turn bad, is that it? You're wary of me because I'm related to the house of Black, and no matter how tenuous my connection is you just can't seem to get pass it."

"Nymphadora…" Remus muttered, surprised and confused but feeling guilty as well.

"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora!" she spoke a bit louder, her voice strained. Without looking back, she suddenly turned from him and stormed out of the room. It wasn't the detention or the mission she was worrying about anymore. She just wanted to get away from him. Remus watched her leave and stood there helplessly for a moment. He did feel guilty because the first time he saw her, he immediately judged her. Even if he tried to make it up to her, it didn't seem to be working. A moment later, Remus dropped the book in his hand and chased after her, following in the direction he just saw her turn.

* * *

><p>The hallway was nearly empty, except for a few students sneaking around either up to mischief or simply looking for a tryst with their respective other. Marrick and Lexi had been through that stage before and was all too used to seeing it. Marrick found himself wanting to tell them to get back to their dorms like his prefect background told him to do, but being under the Ghost Necklace, even if he screamed at them they wouldn't be able to hear him. When they passed by a large mirror in the hallway and he didn't see his reflection, it surprised him a bit. He wasn't going to get used to the necklace so easily. Marrick turned to the petite, pixie girl beside him, pretty with raven black silky hair and wandering eyes.<p>

"You're awfully quiet," he commented.

She turned to him, and he took the chance to look into her eyes. Lost in her deep, dark brown almost black eyes, he saw so many things he hadn't seen ever before and suddenly he felt an urge to get closer to her.

"Well I don't know what to talk about with you. And I can't talk to anyone else, so I figured I'll just be quiet," she shrugged, smirking.

He revealed a lopsided grin as he saw her lips turn into her signature smirk. "Why do you smirk all the time? Even when it's a bad situation, I notice you just smirk."

"There's more to it than you can see," she replied as the continued walking.

"It helps you mask your feelings?" he asked out of curiosity but with an interest to know.

She was quiet for a moment as they kept walking on and on down the familiar hallway. "I guess you could say that. I mean smirking is better than losing my head and freaking out. And I tend to be put in situations that would normally cause someone to freak out a lot, so I'm quite used to just mask and hide everything behind a smirk," she explained in an airy smooth voice.

"Kind of like whenever people associate you with Sirius Black or other members of your family that you don't like?"

She nodded. "Pretty much. I don't mind when people associate me with them because well, whether I like it or not, they are related to me and I can't stop people's opinions. It just bugs me a bit like it does Tonks, whenever people judge us because of it."

"You keep your cool a lot better than Tonks does though. Like with Remus Lupin."

"I have fewer reasons to freak out about it than she does," Lexi replied.

"So why does Tonks freak out so easily when people judge her as opposed to you?"

"Well…Tonks had seen the horrors of the Black family first hand as opposed to me, so that's why she doesn't like it when people right off the bat think that she'll be bad. My parents eloped, so I never met anyone from the Black family till I was five. But when I met them, I had met Tonks' family first, so it wasn't all that bad and scary for me. Tonks on the other hand, her mother was disowned but she still stayed in the country. She tends to run into her family a lot. Tonks told me she'd seen Bellatrix Lestrange torture her mum first hand and she heard all the hurtful insults that the other members threw at them. Tonks was more exposed to the evil than I ever was. Also, she works so much harder than anyone else. Going through Auror training and everything, she puts in a lot of effort to it, whether you believe it or not," she chuckled. "So I'd understand…if you work so hard and yet people don't seem to see it, it gets frustrating."

"Yeah I do see her put a lot of effort in her work. It's hard to spot at first because she's so carefree and jubilant, but luckily she takes her work seriously. That's why Mad-Eye likes her."

Lexi nodded. "Actually, I've never seen Tonks be so troubled by it before now. She usually just shrugs it off in a day or two. I guess Professor Lupin is just unlucky."

Marrick nodded as he walked beside her. For a while, they walked in companionable silence until he decided that he wanted to probe further to learn more about Alexis Black. There was something about her that screamed out to him there was more than meets the eye.

"Your parents…you said they eloped," he began softly. "Do you see them often?"

Lexi smirked again, but behind that smirk Marrick thought he saw sadness and grief. She suddenly shook her head, her smirk masking her feelings. "I haven't seen them in sixteen years."

"Don't you miss them though? Sixteen years is very long."

"Of course I miss them. I really want to see them, but it's not like I could."

"Why don't you go see them then?" Marrick asked. "My parents, they live in another city and if I don't see them for let's say a month, I'll miss them like crazy."

Lexi nodded and continued walking. "Yeah, I miss mine like crazy too." Marrick was about to speak when she suddenly continued in a sullen but calm voice. "I can't see them because they're on the other side of the life and death line."

And with her final words, he decided it was best not to probe any further for the night. Behind her smirk, he finally saw what she was hiding. She was hiding the hurt and confusion, and he couldn't blame her for it. Marrick learned how to see through Alexis' smirk from then on, deciding that she wasn't the brat he'd thought she was before.

* * *

><p>Remus didn't know where exactly he was going. He just knew to follow his instincts, making sharp turns and wandering through the castle walls in search of a pink haired Auror who had allowed her morph to shift back to her normal, twenty year old self. He could feel that he was getting closer to her. He didn't know how, he could just feel her close by. Remus continued rushing down the hall, smiling briefly to students who passed him by. He should nag them to get back to their dorms, but Nymphadora Tonks, the pink haired Auror who was undeniably beautiful was more important to him at the moment. Not only did he feel guilty that he had upset her, he felt it unfair the way he looked at her when they first met. She'd mentioned it. The judgmental and skeptical look in his eyes when they first met bothered her. Remus had been trying to make it up to her, but he doesn't seem to know what the right thing to do was.<p>

When he finally stopped, Remus found himself standing in an empty courtyard on the far side of the school where a large oak tree with low hanging branches sat in one corner. The tree covered a large space and its trunk looked awfully inviting that he felt the temptation to lie down and relax for a little while. There by the tree trunk, lying on her back with one hand behind her head and her legs crossed was Nymphadora Tonks, the pink haired Auror Remus had been chasing for the past ten minutes. She lied peacefully under the tree, her eyes up at the sky where the waxing moon was reaching its first quarter. Remus shoved his hands into his pockets and slowly made his way over to her, his foot stepping on the crunchy leaves that scattered the ground. Tonks heard him and her eyes turned to look at him but she didn't move.

"Why are you here?" Tonks asked in an icy voice.

"I came to apologize," Remus spoke sincerely. "Nymphadora, I am sorry."

Tonks turned away from him, not having the heart to yell at him for using her first name. Her gaze returned to the night sky and for a brief moment, she was reminded of when she used to do the same thing during her school years. She'd go to the same oak tree called The Family Tree that sat in the far-east courtyard, and would just lie under there to get rid of all her worries.

"Can I sit down?" Remus asked.

"Sadly this tree doesn't belong to me, so do whatever you want."

Remus sat himself down next to her, accidentally sitting too close as his robes brushed against hers. Tonks didn't seem to pay any attention to him as her eyes continued to gaze at the moon and the stars in the sky. He sat silently beside her for a while, waiting for her to speak. But after a long while when Tonks didn't speak and the moon rose higher in the sky, he decided that he had to say something rather than be a coward and keep silent.

"Listen," he began in a soft voice that appealed to her. "I'm sorry what happened between us the first time I saw you. I didn't know that the look in my eyes hurt you. I didn't mean to be so skeptical or judgmental of you then. I feel awfully guilty because of it. I know I shouldn't judge you and it was wrong of me to immediately relate you to Sirius Black. You are two very different people. I'm sorry," Remus finished. He bit his lip waiting for her.

Tonks took a deep breath and then pulled herself up to sit beside him, not caring how close they were to each other. "I guess I was being really childish wasn't I?" she asked him in a less icy voice than before. "I shouldn't have been so openly rude to you because of one bad first impression that we had."

"I completely deserved it," Remus smiled slightly. He watched her intently, the way she seemed to relax while sitting under the tree made him wonder and smile. She was so interesting. He was amazed at the gentle way she'd gaze up at the moon and wished he could be like that.

"I shouldn't have acted so childishly about it either," she spoke in a softer voice.

"You're young," he shrugged. "And like I said, I deserved you being mad at me."

"You're still young too you know," she reminded him and he smiled.

"Does being judged…really bother you so badly?" Remus asked her in a very gentle voice. His voice was soft like velvet and somehow, it reassured Tonks and quelled her woes. The man that sat beside her, that Remus Lupin, seemed more like how she thought he would be, instead of the man who looked at her with skeptical eyes when he was showing them to where they would be staying. She liked the Remus Lupin beside her better than the one that had imprinted her memories that night a week ago.

"You don't understand," Tonks began. She was beginning to feel comfortable talking to Remus Lupin, or maybe it was just because she was sitting under the oak tree, The Family Tree that always seemed to somehow calm her. "When you work so hard, when you put your all into something and yet people don't seem to notice, it frustrates you. But when people don't see how hard you're willing to work and instead jumps to a bad conclusion of you, judge you because of some previous belief of theirs, it hurts. I've worked so hard to become an Auror, to be of some use and to do something good, but when people don't even care to look at that and instead related me to the rest of my family and say that I'm bad, it just hurts," she sighed. Tonks didn't know why she was telling him all that. She'd only told one other person that, and it had been Lexi. Even her mother didn't know she thought that way, so what made Remus Lupin so special?

"Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel," Remus smiled.

Tonks turned to him in surprise. There was great sincerity in his clear blue eyes that drew her deeper and deeper into him. She wanted to hear him talk more, to explain how he knew how she felt. She wanted to hear his calm and gentle voice as he explained.

Remus chuckled but it was a bitter chuckle as he shifted slightly in his place and turned his body to face her. "For most of my life, people have judged me because of what I am. It's the reason for these shabby clothes," he smiled. "I work hard, I think I work pretty hard," he nodded. "But often, people don't seem to see that. Instead, they shun me because of what I am, because of what they _think_ I would do. They don't know me at all, and yet they judge me. So I completely understand how you feel about being judged, about the prejudice of society. I've been discriminated all my life. I know I'm in no position to judge you and I shouldn't have given you that look when we first met."

"Why would people discriminate you? You're the cool professor as all the kids say," she unknowingly smiled which caused Remus to beam unexpectedly.

"They think that I am dangerous…which I guess I am…but…it's very complicated."

"If you don't feel comfortable talking about it, it's alright. I was just surprised that you understand how I feel. Not many people do."

"Trust me. I understand exactly how you feel. I was surprised you felt that way too actually because like you said, not many people understand that feeling of being judged."

"So what caused it?" Tonks asked him as Remus raised a gentle eyebrow. "What caused you to think…what you thought when you first saw me and my cousin? Did Sirius Black do something terrible to you?"

Remus was quiet and tense for a moment but he relaxed soon after. He let out a long sigh and then looked up at her, stunned when he was lost in her spell binding eyes, hazel brown, and found the gentlest feeling and the warmest sensation in them. "Sirius and I were friends," he admitted solemnly. "He, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew were my closest friends. We were the Marauders," he smiled, his eyes drifting into hers as he felt strong enough to reminisce the times.

Tonks' mouth dropped slightly. "_You_ were the Marauders?" she asked in disbelief.

He nodded and smiled a gentle smile that was different from all the other ones. "Yes, we were troublemakers as we've been known for, but we were also the best of friends. I'm sure you know the story…when Sirius betrayed the Potters, he also killed Peter Pettigrew. Because of Sirius they're dead and in one night, I lost all my friends, the closest people to me."

Unsure of what to say or how to comfort a man who had been through something like that, Tonks placed her hand over his and squeezed his hand gently. She left it there, feeling his warmth radiate off his calloused but soft and gentle skin as the heat travelled through her body in a soothing wave of motion. Remus was surprised by her reaction. He rarely ever told that truth to anyone, and when he did he expected to hear apologies and words, lots of words insulting Sirius and words of comfort. What he never expected was contact. Her hand simply lying over his gave him more comfort than any amount of words ever could.

"I recognized you and your cousin Alexis when I first saw you two girls and when I heard your name, my memories were confirmed. When you two were born, Sirius was so happy he showed us all pictures of you. Realizing you were his cousin…I apologize…but I allowed my thoughts and disappointment in Sirius to travel over to my impression of you."

Tonks gave him a warm and yet unreadable smile. "You don't know me," she shook.

"I don't. But…I'd like to get to know you. Can we perhaps, start over again…this time without any clouded judgments or terrible first impressions?" he asked gently. Remus felt himself lost in this girl, this woman who was so much younger than he but was so comforting and understanding. He couldn't help but smile every time her lips did too.

"Alright," she nodded and showed him a heart-warming genuine smile. Tonks' smile widened when she saw him beam. He was practically glowing as his eyes shyly locked with hers. "Wotcher, I'm Nymphadora Tonks. Please call me Tonks instead of Nymphadora, the dreadful name my fool of a mother decided to torture me with."

Remus chuckled. "Hello Dora…err…Tonks. I'm Remus Lupin," he smiled.

"What did you call me?" she asked him in a soft voice.

"Uh…I accidentally called you Dora. I hope you don't mind, it accidentally slipped."

She smiled and shook her head. "That's what my dad calls me. I guess…you can call me Dora when we're alone. It's better than Nymphadora," she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Besides, it looks like you don't particularly enjoy just calling me Tonks."

Remus shook his head immediately. "Tonks is too abrupt. I personally think Nymphadora is a beautiful name. Calling you Dora is just the same. At least you won't hiss at me anymore."

Tonks laughed. Her laughter was very unladylike but Remus found that he liked it. He found himself laughing along with her, and Tonks paused when she realized she liked the sound and the sight when this man was laughing and smiling. Their laughter blended together, fitting and complementing each others' in perfect harmony as if it was a duet.

"We are friends then?" Remus asked and beamed once again when she nodded.

After a while, Tonks shifted to lying back down on the truck of the tree again, both her hands behind her head as she laid there gazing up at the moon. He didn't exactly know why, but Remus suddenly wanted to try to look at the moon while under that big oak tree. He quietly slipped down beside her, waiting to see if Tonks would disapprove. She didn't care and shifted over to give him more room as he lied down. Under the big oak tree, _The Family Tree_, he gazed up at the moon. A few silhouettes of the dark branches framed his vision of the sky, but he found the sight to be awfully relaxing and soothing. He felt at peace when he laid there in silence.

* * *

><p>It was a little bit past midnight. Tonks walked back to her shared living space with Marrick and Lexi, Remus guiding her way. She no longer felt annoyed whenever she looked or thought of him. Maybe just sitting down and having a conversation with someone really can do miracles. Tonks never believed in that before. She always thought that to solve a problem there had to be some action, some cause and effect, never just a simple conversation. That night she had been proven wrong. After her conversation with Remus, she felt like everything had blown past them as a misunderstanding. Remus Lupin, in her eyes, wasn't a hypocritical git anymore. He was the man she initially thought of him as, the shy professor with a funny side in shabby robes with entrancing blue eyes and an attractiveness that wasn't overbearing.<p>

"Why are you back so late?" Lexi asked her, her voice muffled through her pillow.

"I was lying under The Family Tree," Tonks replied, a smile still dancing on her lips.

Alexis looked up from her pillow, her straight hair wild as she pushed herself up. Tonks chuckled at her cousin's pajamas, a pair of ducky trousers and a spaghetti strap camisole in the most brilliant shade of blue there was. Then she realized those must have been hers, because Lexi's clothes only consisted of neutral, sophisticated colors. "Are those mine?"

Alexis nodded and grinned. "I forgot to give them back a few weeks ago and they happened to be on the top of my bag so I just wore them," she smiled.

Tonks went over to her bed, kicking off her shoes and getting out of her robes. "Sorry I left you alone with Marrick all night. You have the right to curse at me," Tonks teased.

"Oh it's alright. He's becoming a lot more bearable now after we started talking."

"Wow. I never knew just simply having a settled conversation with someone could do so much wonders," Tonks thought aloud. "Lexi talked with Marrick, and I talked with Remus Lupin," she smiled, thinking of how some things could change so easily. "You know, Professor Lupin actually had a reason to be a bit skeptical of us in the beginning. He was a part of the Marauders and Sirius directly affected him."

"Really? Did you know which one he was? I knew Sirius was Padfoot that's all."

"I don't know which one he was. Perhaps he's the one Sirius called dear old bookworm Moony, he seems like the type. He can't be Prongs though, Prongs seemed like a troublemaker."

"So you're all patched up with the man now?" Alexis asked, smirking as she yawned.

"Normally I wouldn't forgive someone so easily, you know me. But…if he's a Marauder, then you can't really blame him you know? I mean, to him, he lost all his friends in one night. It can't really be helped," Tonks shrugged, contemplating. "I guess I forgave him then."

"That's good, no more growling at the professor," Alexis yawned. "That would also explains why right off the bat he knew that _you're_ related to Sirius. Normally people don't."

Tonks nodded and crawled under her blanket. "Besides, now that I tried seeing it from his view, it is pretty weird to have us, Sirius' cousins, put on a case to capture him."

"That's why I wasn't freaking out," Alexis smirked and half groaned.

"What? If you thought that why didn't you tell me? Then I probably wouldn't have overreacted," Tonks replied quickly, pushing her cousin's leg.

"You know when you're pissed you never listen to anyone. Now go away I need sleep!"

"Fine," Tonks laughed. "Go back to bed Lexi." Tonks watched Lexi fall easily back asleep, being the heavy and easy sleeper that she was. She remembered when they went to school together, whenever one of them was feeling down or troubled, they would always be found lying under the tree. Tonks remembered how they used to talk so much under that tree, talking about the most random things but incidentally feeling better once they get up again. That was how Tonks felt that night, lying under the tree and just talking. The twist however, was that Tonks didn't talk to Lexi. Tonks found herself talking to Remus Lupin, and resolving her _misunderstandings_ with him.

* * *

><p>Hey I hope this chapter isn't too bad ^_^ I know my grammar's a bit off...but spellgrammar check on word isn't the best and I absolutely am terrible at grammar =.= Anyways, thanks for reading. Oh btw check out my other story "Save the Last Dance for Me" if u hav time, it's also strongly AU like this, I'm experimenting with two completely different plot lines however ^_^


	4. Try Out This Friendship

**Author's Note:**

I hope you like this chapter. This and probably the next chapter are what I consider build-ups, I hope it doesn't get boring. Oh and I realized I have a habit of foreshadowing some things with slight and very minor details, so pay attention to that, especially the relationships. ^_^ That's a hint right there haha. Thank you so much for reading and review. Thank you to all those people who reviewed, I really appreciate it. Though I don't personally reply to your reviews, rest assured I read them and really try to improve my writing with them so thank you so much. I hope you'll continue reading and reviewing. Thanks for the support, even after Harry Potter ended, us fans will still be here ^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter 04 – Try Out This Friendship<strong>

It was as if time has rewound itself. Tonks found school life to have its ups and downs, just like she did a few years ago before she became an Auror. She was beginning to think that maybe she was given a chance to repeat her third year again, and the chance was taken with open arms as she found school to be less of a drab. For the other Aurors and Unspeakables assigned there, they were more than happy to take a break from paperwork.

The weather was beginning to get colder as they drew closer to the end of the month of September. It was two weeks before the full moon that month, and Tonks was looking forward to the Autumn Festival at Hogsmeade. On a particularly chilly Saturday morning, Tonks found herself grinning goofily as she ate breakfast with her old and new friends. She was laughing as Hermione continuously beat Ron Weasley with her book, nagging at him for eating things whole.

"I can't wait to go to Hogsmeade next week," Ron smiled after Hermione settled down.

"We should pay a visit to the Shrieking Shack," Hermione suggested.

"Either way, you better familiarize yourself with the town before the Full Moon Festival the week after," Fred and George Weasley spoke together.

"Why is that?" Hermione asked.

"Because the festival is so big," one twin spoke.

"You could get lost and end up somewhere you don't know," another twin finished.

"And because often, mischief makers use this festival to try out new pranks they don't get to do in school," Alexis added, smirking. She then winked at Fred and George and Hermione. "I'd stay away from Fred and George if I were you."

"Hey, how did you know what we were planning?" the twins asked together.

"Because _she_ is a troublemaker herself," Tonks replied, smiling as Alexis pushed her playfully. "We've seen more pranks than any of you kids combined."

"Really?" one twin spoke, looking at each other as if ready to challenge the girls.

"Yes really," Marrick added. "These two have more tricks up their sleeves than anyone."

"We'd like to challenge that," one twin announced.

"Let's see who can pull off the best prank on each other…"

"…without getting caught."

"Challenge accepted," Lexi smirked.

"Alexis Bl…" Tonks paused as she cleared her throat and stepped on Lexi's foot instead.

"Come on, just a little fun. I'm tired of this prat breathing down my neck," Lexi teased.

The group continued chatting for a while longer during their breakfast, Tonks worrying about what kind of crazy prank the infamous Weasley Twins would pull off. Lexi was caught in an animated conversation with Marrick, Fred, George, and Hermione while Tonks spoke with Ginny and Ron about Quidditch and their support for which teams. As they chatted, Tonks couldn't help but glance over at Harry who sat uncharacteristically quiet. She felt bad for him after he told them his aunt and uncle wouldn't sign the permission slip for him to go.

"Hey, before I forget, take this," Alexis whispered as she handed what looked like a glass crafted compass with a red tipped needle over to Tonks. "It's a locator."

She was confused and couldn't help raising an eyebrow. "What do I need it for?"

"I have two and Dumbledore found out so he asked me to give you my second one. Uh…he said quote, 'when you're lost it will guide your way', unquote," she whispered.

"How in the world do you have two?" Tonks asked.

Alexis had a guilty expression on her face and smiled at Tonks for a moment. "I nicked it from the Department of Mysteries…"

"You what? Lexi you could get arrested!"

"Technically…I can't get arrested, as long as I have my job as an Unspeakable."

"Alexis, it's still not right," Marrick suddenly chimed in, earning a glare from Lexi.

"Kingston what did I say about you butting into other people's business?" she asked.

"So I'm back to Kingston now? I thought we finally got on a first name basis."

"Wait, what do I do with it?" Tonks asked.

"I don't know," Lexi replied. "Dumbledore found out…he seems to know _everything_. So he asked me to lend my second one to you for the school year and he'll keep this secret for me."

Tonks turned to Marrick. She knew of his honest nature and raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head. "No. If you get caught…" He was suddenly silenced when Lexi snuck out her wand and hexed him with a charm that left her wand in a small flash of violet light. Tonks didn't recognize it, and it definitely didn't help when Lexi casted it non-verbally. She noticed that when Marrick tried to speak about the second locator Lexi got again, his voice went mute. "What did you hex me with?"

"The Confidant Charm they used on us Unspeakables to prevent us from revealing our work," Lexi smirked. "Now you _have_ to keep this a secret." she smiled in a mock devil way.

Marrick pouted, the sight causing Tonks to laugh uncontrollably. Lexi laughed as well. Tonks recognized the genuine smile on her cousin's face that even she rarely got to see then noticed that Marrick was gawking at her and Tonks felt like something had blossomed between them without her knowing. Tonks nudged Lexi a bit but the girl seemed completely clueless.

"Well I have to go," Tonks smiled, finishing her drink as she grabbed her bag and got up.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked. "It's a Saturday Tonks."

"She has a Saturday morning detention with Professor Lupin, still from that time with the girl's bathroom and dung bombs," Hermione smiled and winked.

"You make it sound like it's a good thing," Tonks smiled.

The group watched as Tonks left, soon followed by Fred and George as they too had to serve their share of detention for it. Alexis couldn't help but notice that Hermione and Ginny seemed to have a special liking to Professor Lupin, a liking much different from the boys.

"You look like you'd trade places with her," Lexi commented upon the distant look in both Ginny and Hermione's eyes. "Is Professor Lupin really that…awesome?"

"He's so adorable," Ginny sighed.

"What?" Harry and Ron both gasped, nearly spitting up their water.

She immediately cleared her throat as Ginny began to blush intensely. "Nothing."

Lexi smirked. "You and Hermione have a teacher student crush on Professor Lupin."

"No we don't. We just…think he's a really great teacher. Besides I have a crush on someone else," Hermione defended, only to end up blushing just as red as Ginny.

Harry and Ron joined in with Lexi as they laughed at the two girls. "There's nothing wrong," Lexi smiled. "I had a crush on my fourth year astronomy teacher."

"You had a crush on Professor Anderson?" Marrick teased. "He's twice your age!"

"Age is just a number," Lexi smiled and stuck out her tongue. "Besides, after taking Tonks' advice and breaking it off with all my…partners, I'm lonely and available now."

Ginny and Hermione made goofy noises while Harry whistled and winked at Marrick.

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><p>After sitting down and having a proper conversation with Remus Lupin, Tonks found that he wasn't that bad a bloke after all. In fact, Remus turned out to be the sweetest man alive as he had deliberately tried to make his lessons less of a strain for her since she practically knew everything already. Whenever she saw him, Tonks still couldn't believe how amazing it was that simply having a conversation with someone could make such a difference. She finally found even grounds with him, and no longer felt the need to glare at him in class. Instead she focused most of her attention on her morph and the rest on not falling asleep on the young professor. It really felt like school again as their misunderstanding before had disintegrated into nothing. School made them forget easily, and Tonks was reminded of that all over again.<p>

"Good morning Nymphadora," Remus greeted, walking down from his office with a large glass tank in his hands.

Tonks narrowed her eyes, but her glare surprisingly lacked the ice and malice she usually had. "I thought we made it clear you could only call me Dora when we're alone."

"My bad," Remus smiled without a hint of remorse.

"Professor Lupin, I'm still trying out this friendship with you, you know," she smirked. "Keep calling me Nymphadora and I'll end it quicker than lightning," she threatened.

"I am very sorry Nymphadora," Remus smiled and nodded as Tonks stormed up to him.

She was tempted to smack that tank out of his hands just because he had called her Nymphadora twice in one minute without a hint of remorse. She glared at him, her eyes narrowed down on him but only managing half of her usual animosity. "You're asking for a hex, _professor_," she spoke, dragging out the title in mockery.

Remus chuckled and shook his head. "I'm glad we could try out this friendship then. Today for you detention this morning, I was wondering if you could help me with something?"

She set her bags down but continued to glare at him, eyeing the glass tank curiously as she forgot about hexing the professor. "I always help you with _something_ for my detention. What's the difference this time?" she asked him, remembering the past week of detention with Remus that ended up in her sorting through his endless piles of paperwork for the lazy bloke.

"Instead of having you file papers for me, I was wondering if you'd like to help me catch a grindylow for our lesson on Monday. Or you could continue filing."

"Grindylow," she nodded, helping him lift the tank again. "It's less boring."

Remus chuckled softly. "Great then, some help would make it easier," he smiled and gestured for her to let him handle the tank. After knowing Tonks on a more pleasant side for one week, Remus had also discovered that she was dead clumsy when she wasn't fighting. He'd learned it the hard way after asking her to reorganize his bookshelf for him and ended up having to clean up the shelf she broke while Tonks rubbed her ankle and smiled apologetically.

"Professor Lupin, how exactly are we going to get anywhere near a grindylow? The Black Lake is way too cold, even for you."

"You can call me Remus, Dora," he smiled, enjoying the way her name so easily rolled off his tongue. "And we're going to a lake near Hogsmeade. There is a small colony there."

"Hogsmeade? But we can't leave castle grounds without permission. Or I can't."

"I've got that handled too," Remus smiled and led her to a large bookshelf of his sitting in the corner, stock piled with volume after volume of boring encyclopedias. Tonks watched as Remus ran his long finger through a few books on the shelf and settled at the middle one on the third row down. He placed his finger on the top of the spine and pulled it. Then the shelf suddenly opened up, revealing an entrance into a long, damp tunnel. Tonks gaped at the sight, never knowing that there had been a tunnel there. "I _was_ a Marauder you know," he smiled.

"But how did you guys find this tunnel? It's so well hidden. No one would ever touch those encyclopedias," Tonks gawked, following Remus as she held up her wand in front of him, lighting the way with a non-verbal _Lumos_ while Remus held the tank.

"We didn't actually find it," Remus clarified and continued once he glanced back and saw the cute bemused look on Tonks' face. "We dug it," he smiled. "It was a funny story. While making the Marauder's Map, we found out that there was an underground tunnel that led from a cave near Hogsmeade through the castle grounds. But it didn't reach any point in the castle. So we found the closest point and dug our way in. We happened to reach the entrance point back there in the DADA classroom. So to get through, James decided to tell Professor Merrythought that the astronomy teacher Professor Anderson, whom she fancied, wanted to speak with her up in the astronomy tower. So while she was there, we quickly made the entrance and set the moving bookshelf there to conceal it. I felt really bad since Professor Merrythought was up there all night with false hope, but I didn't think at the time."

When he finished, Tonks let out a loud sound of laughter that made his face brighten. "I didn't know you had Merrythought for DADA and Anderson for astronomy as well," she laughed. "I never knew she fancied Professor Anderson. She's old enough to be his granny!"

Remus chuckled. "Yes, that was probably why he didn't return her feelings."

"The Marauders were a legend! You know if you told the kids about your status, they'd think you're the best and coolest teacher alive?"

"I wouldn't want them to see me as a prankster. That's what we were known for."

She nodded. "Which one were you then? I know Sirius is Padfoot, that's all. You guys came up with really odd nicknames for each other."

"I was Moony," he replied, smirking at all the memories that flashed back in his mind. "It's sad to say that those days were the best days in my life. James was always prone to trouble and Peter just liked to follow us everywhere. Sirius was the coolest bloke of the group and thanks to him I also didn't feel like a complete outcast in our year. They were my closest friends," he smiled sadly and Tonks noticed. "My parents no longer played a large role in my life ever since my accident when I was five. So the three Marauders were like my family. James, Peter, and even Sirius." Remus' words suddenly turned sullen as he reminisced on his happy memories. Feeling his grief in the air, she took his hand and held it tight. Once again, she didn't know how to comfort him. What do you say to a man who practically lost all of his family in one night?

"You don't entirely hate him do you?" she asked in a softer voice at the way the conversation abruptly turned. "There's definitely hate…but there's something else as well."

Remus' mind was screaming at him to pull his hand back from her touch, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, not when he needed the comfort and reassurance so much. He really did judge her too quickly as Tonks wasn't what he'd expected at all. Sure she was childish and clumsy, but she was also reassuring and kind as well. Besides, he couldn't pull back when his hands are holding onto the giant empty tank and she was holding onto him.

He was quiet for a long while, hesitant to admit what he truly thought. She was right though. Yes, he hated Sirius, yes he wanted to kill the bastard, but there was also something else as well, something he didn't want to admit for a man who had betrayed his trust. Remus nodded even though he wasn't sure if Tonks could see it. "If you think about it, he's my only living friend left. It's nice to know that you're not completely abandoned," he admitted solemnly.

"You're not alone. You can always make new friends," she smiled. "You said we're friends, didn't you? Even though we haven't been friends that long, with time it'll change and we'll get to know each other better," she smiled in such an angelic way, Remus nearly fell over.

He wanted to believe her, and for a second he thought he did. He wanted to believe that they could become great friends, but he was afraid that once she learned the dark truth about him, like all the other _friends_ he'd met over the years, she would run away from him. Everyone always did run away, and he thought he was used to it. But somehow, looking at Tonks, he didn't want her to run away. Remus hoped to conceal the dark truth about himself from her for as long as he could go, even if it meant deceiving her, because he felt like he needed her as a _friend_.

"We're friends, Nymphadora. Thank you," he smiled ever so gently and genuinely.

"What happened when you were five? The accident?" she asked after a long silence.

Remus suddenly stopped and looked at her with gentle but fearful eyes.

"Sorry. If you're not comfortable don't say it," Tonks tried to smile as they continued on.

"Thank you." Remus' voice was so soft; it was like a sad melody to her ears.

When they arrived at the small boat Remus had set up just outside the mouth of the cave, Tonks realized she had been holding onto his hand the entire time and forgot to let go. Blushing, she tried to morph it away but to no avail when Remus suddenly gave her a comforting and grateful smile. Tonks discreetly let go of his hand while he got on the boat and bent down to carefully place the grindylow tank on the bow of it.

"Do you need any help getting in?" Remus asked.

"I'm good," Tonks smiled, taking a step. "I'm an Auror after _oaf_," Tonks replied, suddenly tripping over the stern and fell face first into Remus' chest. Luckily his arms were there to catch her and the man chuckled while Tonks pulled apart in embarrassment.

"You can let your morph slip to normal if you'd like," he spoke through fits of laughter.

Immediately, Tonks grinned and scrunched her face up as she allowed herself to lose her morph of a thirteen year old and returned to her natural self. Remus found it amazing how she could do that as he watched her increase in height and age. Tonks had clearer, softer dark brown eyes, a cute, slightly upturned nose and nice red lips of a twenty year old woman. Remus was amazed as he looked at her, taking in her beauty.

* * *

><p>During the morning, Alexis had grudgingly agreed to skip her preferred weekend nap and patrolled the grounds with Marrick due to Mad-Eye Moody's request. They wandered the grounds near the Quidditch Pitch with their brooms in their hands.<p>

"You seem really lazy," he teased her. "It's as if your only hobbies are sleeping and picking up shallow blokes everywhere you go, and occasionally causing mischief with Tonks."

"Well, sleeping helps relaxes me, picking up blokes keep me from being bored, and causing mischief with Tonks is just fun," she smiled.

"Don't you do anything else?" he asked, swinging his Nimbus 2000 over his shoulder.

"I write and I like muggle photography. Other than that, I don't really have time to do much outside of work. Though I guess if you say drinking is a hobby, I'm the best in that area."

He chuckled while silently offering to carry her black and silver Nimbus 2001 on his other hand. Lexi happily gave it to him as they walked. "I've heard of your drinking abilities from school. You were pretty infamous for that," he smiled.

"I'm sure it runs in the family. Tonks and Andromeda are wicked."

"But I didn't know you like to write and muggle photography as well."

"As well? Don't tell me you like them too."

"As a matter of fact I do," he smiled. "How about on the next or the first Hogsmeade weekend, you join me while I try to capture a picture of Hogwarts at sunset? Then we can visit the Three Broomsticks and duke out to see who can drink better?" Marrick's voice was casual but when she listened deeper, Alexis sensed a kind of shakiness in it. She didn't care however. He wasn't some bloke she was hooked up with at the bar. They were just co-workers going out and having a drink, it was completely normal with no romance involved.

"That sounds like a plan then Marrick," she smiled and nodded. "Now what do you say we get up in the air before my legs fall off? Moody did say it's better to patrol from up high."

"Alright," he nodded and handed her the Nimbus 2001. "Are you sure you can fly well?"

She winked. "Best chaser of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team my friend."

"Marrick! Lexi!" familiar voices suddenly called out to them. They both turned around, Alexis sighing once she saw that a group of teenagers with broomsticks were running up to them. Noticing that they all had a broom, only one thing could happen afterwards.

"Oh, what are you two doing _together_ out here?" Ginny teased.

They had forgotten to think of an excuse for that. "Yeah Marrick, what _are_ we doing out here?" Alexis asked, hoping he had some excuse in mind. Unfortunately, the look in his eyes told her otherwise and she sighed, leaning on her black and silver Nimbus 2001.

Harry Potter looked at the two and grinned. Hoping to free them from embarrassment, he offered, "Since we all have brooms, why don't we play a game of Quidditch together?"

"That's why we're out here Harry," Ron added dryly. "But with Lexi and Marrick it would make the teams more even." He looked at them, waiting to see their reply.

"That sounds great," Marrick smiled a bit forcefully. "What are we going to do?" he whispered to Lexi as they followed the kids over to the pitch.

"What? So it's my responsibility to get us out of this mess now?" Lexi replied and then rolled her eyes with the look he gave her. "Just play. We'll use a time turner when we're done."

"Time turner?" he questioned.

"Unless you know of some other way we can be in two places at once."

"Whatever floats your boat," he sighed and nudged her along with her small strides.

"Here are the teams," Ron announced as they all mounted their brooms. "Harry, me, Fred, and Marrick against Ginny, Hermione, George, and Lexi."

"That's hardly fair," George commented, earning himself death glares from Ginny.

"Don't worry, they have Ron, Marrick, _and_ Fred," Lexi teased, reassuring George, Ginny, and Hermione jokingly. George leaned on her shoulder and laughed while Marrick shook his head and hid a smile. Ron mock scowled at her but ended up grinning.

"Marrick, Lexi, we've never seen you play Quidditch before," Harry smiled as they climbed up in height. "I'm really looking forward to this. Which position do you play?"

"Keeper," Marrick smiled and raised an eyebrow at Lexi.

"Chaser," she smirked, challenging him, much to the other's amusement, especially Ginny and Hermione who were convinced Alexis and Marrick both had a crush on the other.

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><p>Tonks remembered her one time coming to Hogwarts on a boat in the late evening. It had been one of the scariest boat rides of her life, especially when she was placed with Charlie Weasley who wouldn't stop shaking the boat, much to her discomfort. That day had been her second time on a boat anywhere near Hogwarts, and she was lucky she had been with Remus. He rowed out gently, allowing the water to carry them and she felt at peace, relaxed. When they got to the middle of the lake, Tonks sat confused at first. Remus began taking his shabby jacket and jumper off, testing the water.<p>

"You're not going to catch a grindylow alone," she spoke to him in a stern voice.

He smirked, a familiar Marauder like smirk she'd seen on Sirius many times before. "I've been down this lake before. I can take care of myself," he spoke as he unbuttoned his jumper.

"Still," Tonks spoke, mainly because she wasn't content with just sitting and waiting, especially as an Auror. "I'm going with you," she added, beginning to take off her school robes. She knew that she could keep her jumper and pants on and then use a drying spell when they get up. That was what Remus seemed to have planned as well as he kept his own pants on.

He sighed and shrugged. "Fine," he smiled, grateful for her persistence. "I only wanted your company so I wouldn't feel so lonely, but it'd be nice to have company all the way then."

Tonks smiled as they both began undressing in companionable silence. Remus hadn't been too much of a prick she'd noticed. Sure he wasn't as wild or rebellious as she'd like, in fact he was gentle and subtle, but his subtlety was much appreciated for someone who already has enough energy for two people like herself. Tonks noticed that when Remus took his jumper off, his body was crossed with faint scars; a few very visible while a few were light like the one across his face. She wondered where he had gotten them. Remus Lupin was too gentle a man to get into that many fights, and besides, they looked like scars from wrestling with a beast. She was about to question him, but Tonks sensed Remus' discomfort in showing that much of his body to her. Tonks smiled understandingly and tried not to stare. She personally wasn't too happy with her own body either, but as one wise witch known as Alexis Black once said, _no one is ever satisfied with their body. They always want to look better and better_.

"Ready?" Remus asked her as Tonks tossed her tie into her bag and the locator that Lexi had given her on Dumbledore's request fell out.

Tonks nodded and decided to leave the locator lying outside. Perhaps it could guide her the right way, somewhere, even though she wasn't lost just yet.

"What's that?" Remus asked, quirking an eyebrow.

As they both slipped into the water and casted the bubble-head charm upon themselves, Tonks explained to him. "It's a locator. The Unspeakables were working on it before and Lexi said the Minister rushed them to put it to use in finding Sirius. It seems to be working alright so far, but a little slower than we'd like," Tonks explained in her professional voice.

Remus nodded and they began diving under, their wand tightly grasped in their hand. "When you catch Sirius, does that mean your group would pull out of Hogwarts then?" Remus asked, his voice slightly muffled by water as his nose and mouth were enveloped by a crystal clear bubble, but Tonks could still hear him just fine.

She nodded as they swam deeper, into the lake. She was beginning to feel the pressure upon her skin as they got deeper below ground and towards the bottom of the lake. "That was the plan. Although I'm not too sure when we'll catch Sirius though. We've been preparing and waiting but he still hasn't been spotted anywhere near Hogwarts just yet. He's on the road here though according to our sources."

"What do you think will happen to him when you catch him?"

Tonks pushed a little harder to swim beside him. "I don't know. I just hope they won't do anything cruel or chuck him back into Azkaban again. But that seems pretty impossible."

"You still care about him don't you?" Remus asked in a very soft voice she could barely hear him. "You still see him as your cousin, family."

She didn't even need to think to answer him. "Of course. He's one of the three Blacks who don't want me dead…at least I don't think he does," Tonks added, suddenly remembering she was an Auror now, not little Nymphie from years ago. "I know you don't like him, but my opinion on Sirius won't change. To be honest, when I was told of what he's done, I didn't quite believe it. Don't hate me, but I always thought Peter would be the one most likely to…" she didn't even have to finish as Remus understood her clear and well.

They were both silent for a moment. Remus seemed to have sighed inside his bubble and looked at her. "It was times of war then. Trust was so hard to come by, even amongst your best friends. I knew Sirius didn't trust me. It was just such a confusing time. But…if I am to be completely honest with you, I'd say I have mixed feelings for Sirius. I hate him and can't forgive him for what he did to us, to James, but I also couldn't forget the fact that he was the only living friend I have left. Wherever Padfoot is right now, at least that bloody git is still alive. When you're me, it's good to know that you're not completely abandoned."

Tonks remained quiet and gave him a look of understanding that she knew he saw and comprehended once he looked at her again. She had noticed that Remus still considered Sirius a friend, if not a normal kind of friendship, he still said that Sirius was the only living friend he had left. Then he referred to Sirius as Padfoot, proving Remus Lupin hadn't forgotten about him and their memories of mischief together. Tonks shook her head and smiled a bit, seeing how Remus can't completely despise someone or wish death upon them, no matter what heinous crime they've committed. He was such a gentle man and Tonks found herself wishing she knew more people like him in her life. It would certainly do her some good. As they swam, they'd wander off into various small talks and she was glad they were blossoming into a friendship.

"Looks like we've found what we're looking for," Remus suddenly smiled.

They had arrived upon a small pack of about nine or ten grindylows as the water demons clung onto a large rock. Tonks gripped her wand a bit tighter, firmer, and began following Remus closely and they closed in on the unsuspecting pack.

"Remember; the trick to catching a grindylow is breaking their grip. Their long tentacle like arms are strong but very brittle," he reminded her, something Tonks would have forgotten.

"How about I fight them off while you pick a specimen?" she asked him.

Remus nodded. "I think a body-bind spell would work fine on them as well."

"Here they come," Tonks announced as the pack noticed them and began attacking.

Beside each other in the water, Tonks was firing weak stunners one after another as the grindylows latched onto her and Remus, their suction cup arms leaving red imprints on her neck and arms. Tonks noticed that Remus had found the specimen he liked and already petrified the water demon after about five minutes of being under. Once he was done, they were trying to get all the grindylows that have latched itself onto them off. She couldn't help but help him, seeing some of Remus' newer scars get particularly redder from the grindylows' bound on him. Tonks was helping Remus while he helped her in return, both pulling off tentacles and holding onto the single petrified one. After another ten minutes once they were both freed, Tonks motioned for Remus and luckily he seemed to have understood her. She grabbed onto his arm tightly while he held onto the bounded grindylow. Tonks raised her wand up towards the surface of the water and muttered the spell _ascendio_.

As if they were being pulled, Tonks, Remus, and the frozen grindylow were launched out of the water and high into the air. Remus luckily regained his sense of balance and landed upright back into the water while Tonks had struggled and wounded up doing a very unwanted belly flop, much to her displeasure. They swam up towards the surface again and as the gentleman that he was, Remus helped Tonks back up into the boat before he hulled himself up with ease while still holding onto the grindylow.

"Well that could've been better," Tonks sighed, gasping for air while rubbing her belly.

Remus laughed an honest and pleasant laughter echoing from his open mouth. He placed the grindylow into the glass tank which he had quickly filled with water by a wave of his wand. Tonks watched him for a moment, taking the time to relax on such a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun was up high in the sky now and the weather was warmer. It wasn't as enjoyable as summer, but it was the best autumn could give.

"Thank you Dora for accompanying me," Remus smiled.

Tonks nodded and grinned but at that moment, she realized that they way Remus had called her name was so soothing, so enjoyable that if he had used the same tone with Nymphadora, she _might_ have allowed him to slip by without a warning or even a glare.

"You don't think we could relax now, could we?" Tonks asked.

Remus chuckled and shrugged as he slipped his jumper back on and they both leaned back on the side of the boat. "I suppose some relaxation couldn't be helped when the weather is this nice and we're at such a perfect, serene place."

"In a lake filled with grindylows and who knows what. Yes, _very_ serene Remus."

"Say Tonks, your job as an Auror, how is it? Good? Bad? I'm just curious."

"It's good, I like it. The paperwork portion wasn't exactly what I signed up for, but I could live with it," she replied, placing both arms behind her head. "What about you?"

"I've had many jobs, too many for one lifetime. But my favorite one I'd say would be this teaching job I have. I enjoy the company of rowdy kids," he chuckled.

"Why did you have so many jobs?" Tonks questioned casually.

"Some…health related problems," Remus answered her.

His tone was something she could read and knew not to press on that subject any further. "So what do you do in your free time? I've always wanted to ask a teacher that. My cousin Lexi and I always had the impression that teachers lock themselves in the closet at night to grade papers and such," she smiled.

Remus laughed. "Well I don't lock myself in a closet," he clarified teasingly. "But you could say I'm pretty boring. I like to read and study upon things that I don't know or randomly interests me. Reading is tops for me though. I'm a bookworm," he admitted, smiling.

Tonks smiled and turned to look at him, able to see that quality in him. When she looked a little closer at him while he smiled, Tonks noticed something else about him though, something odd. When Remus grinned, it looked a little, for lack of better word, _wolfish_. She ignored it and could remember seeing so many people actually looking more like an animal than he did. Remus didn't even come close to having any traits of a beast.

"I like reading, I do it in my spare time. But when I'm reading I'm usually listening to music as well. I'd say music is the main thing for me though."

"What do you listen to?"

"_The Weird Sisters_," Tonks chuckled. "But also anything that catches my interest. You?"

"Same, I listen to anything that catches my interest. I'm actually pretty open," he smiled.

"You should listen to some of my music then. I may not look like it but I'm a pretty good musician," she smiled.

"I'd love to. Whenever you're free I'd like to hear," Remus replied genuinely, beaming when he noticed that Tonks was practically glowing when he replied. "Wait. What's that sound though?" he asked when they suddenly noticed a noise that sounded like thin metal grinding against each other. "That's certainly not the joy of your excitement," he laughed and teased.

Tonks sat up and noticed that the locator Lexi gave her was the one emitting the noise. As it sat on the bow of the boat beside her bags and the grindylow glass tank, the red needle inside the compass-like instrument was spinning rapidly. It didn't stop in one direction however and only continued spinning and spinning.

"Lexi's locator," Tonks replied. "I wonder if it's broken. It's not pointing to a particular direction and certainly is no help like this."

"Isn't it set to look for Sirius?"

"It's set to look for anyone you want but yeah right now it's looking for Sirius."

"Do you suppose we should walk around and check? It could have sensed him."

"It wouldn't hurt to check," Tonks replied as she picked it up. "But I think it's broken. All the other locators, I've never heard of them spinning like this…bloody hell!" Tonks shrieked when the locator suddenly emitted circles of bright, solid blue lights in waves. It looked ethereal almost, as if she could touch it. Remus sat up and looked at the locator with her, both wondering why it was suddenly acting so weird. The next thing that happened, the locator suddenly stopped working and the arrow seemed inactive, moving lazily like that of a normal compass.

"What just happened?" Remus wondered, sitting very close to Tonks but they didn't care.

"Bugger, I think I need to ask my cousin this," Tonks sighed. "Should we go back now?"

Remus nodded and began rowing the boat quickly back to shore. "You can use my office to meet up if you don't have any other places," he offered. "If you don't mind, I'd like to know why it reacted so oddly as well."

"I'm sure Lexi wouldn't mind at all. Besides, we won't be meeting with Mad-Eye again until Wednesday in Professor Dumbledore's office and I don't think a broken locator will be of much use during the time," Tonks nodded, sitting still as Remus rowed the boat back.

"Tonks!" she suddenly heard her name being called by an airy, playful, familiar voice. Tonks turned around to see her cousin Alexis and fellow Auror Marrick standing at the dock, waving at them. They both looked as if they'd fallen down a hill with disheveled hair and grass stains all over their body, a few bruises forming here and there. "Hey cuz!" Alexis called again.

"What are you doing here? How did you find us?" Tonks asked quickly.

"Afternoon, professor," Marrick and Alexis greeted at the same time when they noticed Professor Lupin helping Tonks get off the boat and onto the dock.

"Please call me Remus," he smiled a bit shyly when he remembered he hadn't apologized to Alexis about their first meeting yet.

"Remus," Alexis nodded. "Anyways, we came here because while we were playing Quidditch with the kids the locator went off but when we got here, it suddenly lost trace."

"That's sort of what happened just now!" Tonks replied. "Did your locator emit waves of blue light as well? Because the one you gave me did and when it was done it just suddenly went dead," Tonks spoke quickly, comparing the two almost identical compass-like locators.

"What did you say?" Alexis asked in a surprised tone as she took Tonks' locator and looked at it closely. Remus and Marrick were watching them bemusedly, keeping quiet and hoping an explanation would come up soon. "Yours emitted blue waves? Did you see anything else when it did that? Like did you see Sirius Black?"

Tonks shook her head. "But I think I broke it. Instead of pointing us to a direction again like yours did right here," she pointed out, looking at Alexis' locator. "The one you gave me went dead. Now the needle just moves like a normal compass."

"That can't be right," Alexis mumbled to herself as she examined the locator closely. "I need to get my tools to take a look at this. Apparate back to Hogwarts."

"We'll meet in Remus' office," Tonks added. "There's more room there."

Alexis nodded immediately after she finished and within the blink of an eye, the raven haired girl vanished from where she stood with a _pop_ from the tell tale sound of apparition.


	5. Something More Than This

**Author's Note:**

I feel like I may be dragging it a little, if you think I am please tell me so that I can improve, thank you ^_^ BTW, the full moon happens next chapter o.o

Thank you for reading and reviewing and thank you for your support. Please leave a review thanks so much ^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter 05 – Something More Than This<strong>

Late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set, grazing upon the darkening skyline as Tonks sat comfortably in an overstuffed armchair in the middle of Remus Lupin's inner office. They had been waiting for her cousin, Alexis Black, to finish tinkering with the supposedly broken locator for about an hour. Remus and Tonks were easily drawn into various conversations of their own talking about books to the many interests they share but never have time to dwell in to. Marrick was watching Alexis intently as he perched his head up on his hands and made small talk with her, teasing her while she worked.

It felt like a very long time until Alexis finally shot both hands up and yawned, mumbling something through the yawn that sounded like, "I'm finally done."

Tonks and Remus immediately got up from where they sat and stood beside Marrick across Remus' messy desk where Alexis had taken the time turner apart and put it back together again. "Is it broken? I didn't drop it or anything though," Tonks spoke quickly.

"Relax it's not broken," Alexis laughed. "It's just confused."

"Confused? What do you mean confused?" Marrick questioned.

"The locator is made to look for humans," Alexis began. She looked at the three people facing hers and found that Remus' expression seemed the most interesting. "If it starts spinning, it means you're very close to whomever it is you want to find, my guess is a twenty feet radius. But the blue waves of light that emitted from yours, was the locator being confused. When Fudge made us put it to use, we never had enough time to dwell upon a situation like this one. But if let's say the person you're looking for suddenly changes form, such as when a werewolf transforms during a full moon or when a person turns into an animagus, the locator would be confused because the human would then be an animal. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"So the locator found the person it's looking for, but in animal form so it's confused and doesn't know how to guide you?" Tonks questioned. She too had noticed Remus' face paling significantly when Alexis mentioned animagus and werewolves.

"Exactly," Alexis nodded and snapped her fingers. "So if my guesses are correct, Sirius has to be an animagus because the moon isn't even up yet so the possibility of him being a werewolf is automatically dropped."

"What about a metamorphmagus?" Tonks questioned.

Alexis shook her head. "Metamorphmagi transforms, but you still retain a human form where as werewolves turn into animals on the full moon and animagi can just turn into animals."

"If he's an animagus, he'd be able to slip past the dementors with ease," Marrick suddenly pointed out. "Animal emotions aren't as complex as human emotions and so the dementors don't feed on the happy thoughts of animals."

"That's probably how Sirius got out of Azkaban," Alexis nodded and leaned back in the chair, folding her arms across her chest, an action too similar to Sirius'.

"Remus, are you ok?" Tonks suddenly questioned. "You're white as a sheet."

"I'm fine thank you," he replied gently, shaking his head. "Alexis, so you're certain that Sirius is an animagus?" he questioned, turning from Tonks to Alexis.

"Fairly certain yes," she nodded. "There is a possibility I may have overlooked a minor detail and messed this up somehow, but I'm quite certain I didn't mess anything up this time."

Remus nodded and walked slowly over to his bookshelf, turning away from the three Ministry officials as he pondered about the fact that Sirius was an unregistered animagus. "Perhaps…you should tell Albus this," he finally spoke after a while facing away from them.

"I'll go," Marrick told them. "It wouldn't seem normal for the three of us, still dressed in student robes to suddenly pay a visit to Professor Dumbledore in the eyes of the students. I'll ask him to spread the news to the other Aurors and Unspeakables. Maybe Rookwood and Bode can confirm your theory Alexis," he spoke and nodded politely before leaving Remus' office.

"Remus, are you sure you're alright?" Tonks asked and spoke quietly with him while Alexis sat back at his desk, her face holding a look that said she was deep in thought.

As Tonks spoke with him, Lexi didn't care to hear what they were saying. She was busy pondering why Remus had paled considerably at the mentioning of werewolves and animagi. She thought about his relations to Sirius, being a part of the Marauders together. Then her memories allowed her to remember that Sirius often referred to himself as Padfoot, _cousin Padfoot_, and to some of his friends as Moony, Wormtail, and Prongs. She played around with the wording for a while and finally saw it. She finally saw the connection between the Marauders.

"Moony," Alexis suddenly called. She surprised Remus a bit as he had been sure she didn't know which Marauder he had been. Remus and Tonks turned to her, waiting to hear what she had to say. "You are Moony right?" she asked. "You seemed like you'd be the one Sirius referred to as dear old bookworm Moony."

Remus nodded and admitted Alexis Black was exceptionally clever. "Yes, I'm Moony."

Tonks remembered she hadn't even told Lexi that Remus was Moony the Marauder yet, but she remembered her cousin's hidden clever nature and decided that Lexi had already put all the pieces together and no explanations of the Marauders was needed to be given to her.

"Did the Marauders happen to all be animagi?" she asked, stirring a surprised expression from Remus' face. "Sirius often referred to himself as Padfoot, cousin Padfoot," she added, turning to Tonks. "And the others were Moony, Wormtail, and Prongs. They're all related to animals, kind of like wordplay."

"Blimey Alexis," Remus sighed and smirked. Tonks saw it again in his smile, that _wolfish_ grin, for lack of better word. "You really are quite witty and clever. Yes…the Marauders were all animagi, relating to our given nicknames."

"So Sirius' animagus form is that of a dog, am I correct?"

Remus nodded again. "Yes…how did you figure it out?"

"If you guys were unregistered animagi with nicknames for each other, the nicknames would have to somehow represent what you turn in to, knowing Sirius' personality he wouldn't like the nicknames to be any more complicated than that. If you think about it, only a few animals have padded feet. The most common ones are dogs."

"Lexi you're brilliant. But…should we tell them this bit of information as well?"

"I think that would be Moony's choice," Lexi replied, peering up at Remus who was still pale but not as noticeable as before. "If the Marauders became unregistered animagi, there has to be a reason behind why they were unregistered. Professor we'll leave this decision to you."

"Don't you girls still have to catch Padfoot…I mean Sirius though?"

Tonks smirked when she saw Lexi's lips quiver up into a smirk as well. Both girls shrugged their shoulders, effectively sending Remus the message that since he had known that fact for obviously a long time and had kept quiet about it even after Sirius went to prison and escaped, there has to be a reason behind it. The decision, in the end, lies with him and Remus hoped to simply forget about having to make the decision entirely.

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><p>Wednesday of the following week came by quickly as every day soon fell into a sort of routine for the team of Aurors and Unspeakables stationed at Hogwarts. That evening they had been told to meet in an empty classroom of the school, discussing how far they had gotten on the investigation and if anything new had been spotted. Ever since it was discovered that Sirius Black was an animagus, the Aurors have been keeping closer watch over all the animals near the school but they still found nothing out of the ordinary.<p>

"If the locators went off like that and we've confirmed that Sirius Black is an animagus, that would mean we've spotted him in Hogsmeade," Mad-Eye Moody spoke in a low, hoarse voice as he and his electric blue mechanical eye circled the small classroom. "Kingsley, your team will have to head down to Hogsmeade and patrol there. If he's an animagus, the dementors will be of no help. Silvia, you'll still keep your History of Magic position but be more alert with the pets and familiars of the students. Rookwood and I will patrol the grounds. Marrick, you and Alexis will now have to cover the entire inside of the castle. While Tonks, you'll be the closest source of protection for Harry Potter so keep constant vigilance!"

Most of the group began to leave when Mad-Eye finished his closing statements. Like the no-nonsense Auror that he was, Mad-Eye was also one of the first to leave after he had finished, returning to his shift at patrolling the grounds. After two minutes, the only ones left in the room were Tonks, Alexis, Marrick, and Silvia. They all lazily leaned back on the dusty desks, having small conversations while catching up on the school life of each others.

"Mad-Eye's been really edgy lately because of the Hogsmeade trip that's coming up," Silvia pointed out after Tonks told her how Tonks had aided in catching a grindylow at a lake near Hogsmeade. "You kids are lucky you aren't stuck with him most of the day."

"Kids?" Alexis scoffed. "You make it sound like you're ancient while we're babies."

"Tonks _is_ playing the role of my daughter," Silvia pointed out. Tonks stuck her tongue out at the pretty faced mid-thirty woman. "Are you heading to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"If nothing comes up then definitely," Alexis grinned and nodded.

"Lexi you seem excited," Tonks commented. "Who are you going with?"

"This bloke," Lexi laughed, pointing to Marrick as he suddenly blushed and shied.

Tonks' jaw nearly dropped an entire foot, along with Silvia's who had been informed on Alexis and Marrick's long time hatred of each other. Obviously they were all shocked that Lexi no longer shot death glares at the _by-the-book_ Auror and in fact was accompanying him to Hogsmeade together. Tonks knew something good was forming between them, but she didn't expect it to be so quick. In fact she never really took it seriously until then.

"What?" Alexis smirked. "I figured Tonks would be busy with a certain professor and if I didn't find anyone to go with, I'd be left all alone."

"A certain professor?" Tonks countered, knowing right away Lexi was making reference to Remus Lupin. "I don't even think he's going to Hogsmeade."

"You never know," Lexi teased, causing Marrick to laugh even though he was still red.

"Wait," Silvia suddenly interrupted. "If your whole group is going to Hogsmeade, who is watching Harry Potter? You were informed that he's not allowed to go right?"

"Bugger I forgot! Harry told me once during breakfast and I completely forgot," Tonks sighed. "Blimey, what do we do now? Mad-Eye and Rookwood are patrolling the grounds. You're patrolling the school inside," she spoke pointing to Silvia. "Who will be directly watching Harry?" she questioned.

"Since you forgot…you are," Alexis smirked.

"What?" Tonks sighed. "Oh fine, but I'm definitely going next weekend during the Full Moon Festival," Tonks added. "And you better bring me back something."

"I know, I know," Lexi brushed her off. "Who knows, maybe by staying at the castle you'll see more action than we do while we're at Hogsmeade," she joked. Tonks shook her head and rolled her eyes at her cousin. Sure Lexi was brilliant, but like anyone else she can be an idiot as well. Tonks continued to listen as Silvia and Alexis exchanged various words back and forth.

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><p>A few days later, the east courtyard which held an entrance and exit to the school was bustling with students as they all formed into a large group, wearing their casual wear with eager faces and permission slips to head to Hogsmeade for the first time. The weather was getting colder outside so as Tonks ran out to retrieve the necklace Alexis had forgotten to given her when they woke up that morning, she pulled her thin jacket tighter around her thin, pale frame. Tonks tripped once and stumbled upon three students, knocking over Harry Potter and Ron Weasley while the brilliant Hermione luckily was spared of the fall.<p>

"Bloody hell Tonks," Ron laughed, pulling the pretty faced girl with brilliant pink hair up on her feet. "You gave us quite a heart attack," he sighed.

"Tonks you seem really eager for this trip to Hogsmeade," Hermione smiled.

"Actually I'm not going to Hogsmeade this weekend," Tonks replied in a cheerful voice, surprising Harry who had been uncharacteristically quiet all morning. "I was rushing down here to get something from Lexi she forgot to give me this morning."

"You're not going to Hogsmeade?" Harry asked. "Did you not get your permission slip signed too?" he asked, beginning to not feel so abandoned.

Tonks didn't really know what other excuse to give them so she nodded and attempted to make a sort of disappointed look. "Hopefully I'll get it signed by next week though. In no way am I missing the Full Moon Festival," she smiled, knowing she'd need an excuse for suddenly being there the following week during one of her most favorite festivals of her school career. "Harry I'm really sorry about your aunt and uncle," she spoke apologetically.

"It's alright. I've already established that they hate me. I'm just seeing Ron and Hermione off and hoping to see if Professor McGonagall will make an exception for me."

"Good luck then," Tonks tried to smile at his sad expression. She soon rushed off again, searching through the crowd of kids as she looked for her cousin who blended in so well with the students it nearly became an impossible task. When she did find her, Tonks smirked and wasn't surprised to see Alexis and Marrick chatting closely with Fred and George Weasley.

"Tonks, aren't you going to Hogsmeade?" Fred asked. She finally could tell the difference now. According to Alexis Black, George had a bit of sharper features than Fred did.

She shook her head. "No, my fool of a mother forgot to sign my permission slip," she replied, going on with her lie from earlier. "Lexi, we need to talk," she added quickly.

"What?" Alexis asked, pulling away from the boys. "I'll remember your butterbeer."

"No, not that. Well yes, remember to get me some butterbeer but where's the necklace?" Tonks asked, pulling her thin jacket tighter around her small, almost boney frame.

"Oh yeah I nearly forgot," Lexi sighed and smiled guiltily. "Here you go. Just put it around your neck and you know the rest. Oh one only fits two people though, we've never tried three but I don't think it'll be very comfortable," Lexi explained as she pulled out the metal necklace from within her messenger bag. "And don't lose this. Unlike the locator, I wasn't able to nick myself a second one just yet."

Tonks rolled her eyes and sighed. "Whatever. Don't get lost," she teased. "And remember to get me some chocolate at Honeyduke's as well Lexi," she reminded as Alexis followed the group and began leaving, glancing back at the pink haired girl and the raven haired boy with round spectacles standing a few feet away from each other.

"Guess you're stuck here as well huh Tonks?" Harry asked, turning to her.

"I guess so," Tonks replied, making her way over to him in the now empty courtyard. "What do you plan on doing for the rest of the day?"

"I don't know, maybe practice a little Quidditch and take a walk," he shrugged. "You?"

"I still have loads of homework to finish. I haven't even started on Snape's report yet!"

Somehow, Harry managed to smile a bit and teased her. "You better get to it before he threatens to poison you again," he smiled slightly, remembering that one class where Snape had called Tonks by her dreaded first name and she threatened to hex him while he threatened to poison her in response, causing a lot of giggles to ripple through the classroom.

"Like he could," she scoffed. "That greasy haired git is all talk no action."

"Greasy haired git?" Harry finally laughed as he walked with her inside. "You're the first to ever call him that yet it seems so appropriate," he smiled, causing Tonks to smile as well seeing Harry at least not feeling as lost and alone.

After leaving Harry as he returned to his common room, Tonks felt bored with nothing to do. She could follow Harry and keep a closer eye on him, something her old mentor Moody would have wanted. But Tonks felt like she'd be too invading if she did so. She then decided to keep the Ghost Necklace Alexis had given her in her pocket for the time being until she is required to use it. With nothing else to do, Tonks wandered up to Professor Remus Lupin's office, hoping he'd be in and wouldn't mind her company. She walked through the empty Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and then up the stone spiral stairs that led to his private office. Standing at the door, Tonks knocked a few times on the wood before he opened the door.

"Tonks, hello," Remus smiled as he opened the door. "I'm sorry I was about to go out, I didn't expect to see you today thinking you were at Hogsmeade," he still smiled.

"Wotcher, it's alright then," she replied. "I was just bored with nothing to do."

"Well I was just going to speak with Albus about something. It will be quick. If you'd like you can wait around in my office until I come back. I won't be long."

Tonks grinned a little bit brighter. "Thanks Remus. Oh by the way, if you see Harry, I'd talk to him a bit. He's feeling pretty down not being able to go to Hogsmeade," she added as Remus opened the door wider, allowing her into his private office.

"I probably should talk to Harry then shouldn't I?" Remus nodded. "Stay here and I'll be back as fast as I can," he smiled. Remus didn't want to pass up an opportunity to talk to Tonks and though he felt bad having to make her wait, he really needed to speak with Dumbledore about what to do on the upcoming full moon for safety measures.

* * *

><p>They've been to Hogsmeade village many times before, but none of them like that night's visit. She had never gone to the village with him and he had never gone with her. And for a few years, they hadn't gone to the village while posing as students and acting young all over again. Marrick had just successfully captured a photograph of Hogwarts during the beautiful sunset and was grinning broadly, happy with himself. He had also managed to sneak a photograph of the beautiful raven haired girl who accompanied him that night, taking the picture while she was busy admiring the setting sun. He was more than proud of himself. Alexis was also grinning as she walked down the familiar streets, a new feeling present in the back of her chest as she would sometimes accidentally brush against Marrick.<p>

"The sunset would make a nice present once placed in a frame," Marrick smiled. "Do you think my mum would like it? I don't really know what to get her for Christmas."

Alexis laughed softly. "I'm sure your mother would love anything you give her."

He walked beside her and noticed that at the accidental mentioning of his family, he realized Alexis grew sad. Then he remembered what she had told him once about her parents being dead and suddenly wanted to slap himself. Unfortunately, whenever he was around her these days, Marrick could never keep his mouth shut. Before he could stop himself, he asked, "You're parents, how did they die?" he asked softly but regretted it afterwards.

She was quiet for what felt like a long time and he sudden wanted to slap himself for being so stupid and treading on her layer of thin ice. "They died rebelling against the Black family," she replied softly and then sighed as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her robes. "My mum, Michelle, was a pureblood and so was my dad, Marcus Black. They would have gotten by fine if they didn't openly rebel against my psychotic mess of a family. When Andromeda and Sirius got blasted off the family tree, my father defended them and got himself hated by a few of the members, one in particular, Bellatrix Lestrange. When they saw her again, I wasn't too sure what was going on but there was an argument involving the Dark Mark and Voldemort." Marrick flinched slightly when Alexis openly and uncaringly mentioned his name. "The next thing I knew, Lestrange killed my parents," she laughed bitterly. "I would've been dead too if it hadn't been for Andromeda's interference and Sirius carrying me out of that hell hole of a house. That's all I really remember. I was five, not many details came up."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tread on something so sensitive to you," Marrick apologized.

Alexis smiled and shook her head. "It's fine. At least I'm happy now right?" she laughed, giving him a smirk that promised she'll be happy again soon. "Sirius was a good man…Tonks and I both knew that. That's why till now, we're still hesitant about his capture, but unfortunately we're stuck with this case so we've got to do our job. I swear Fudge set us both up."

"I don't think Fudge is that cunning of a man. Maybe it's just fate that you're put on this case," Marrick suggested. "Maybe fate wants you to at least meet him again for one last time."

"Well fate can be a pretty big git sometimes," Alexis nodded. "I don't really feel comfortable talking about this anymore. Can we talk about something else?" She began to smile.

"Of course. Let's go into Honeyduke's. I need to buy some food," Marrick smiled too.

The two who had once been enemies now turned friends paid a much needed visit to Honeyduke's Sweet Shop. They both refilled their stash of sweets, filling up bags with candy and grinning like a child after they had paid for their goods and could call it theirs.

"Now that you've got your year supply of candy, what do you want to do next?" Alexis asked as they got out of Honeyduke's Sweet Shop, each with a large bag in their hand.

"Visit the Three Broomsticks?" Marrick suggested. "I still want to see just exactly how good of a drinker you are," he grinned foolishly.

"That sounds like a challenge," Alexis smirked, struggling to hold her bags but Marrick had taken them from her gentleman like. "But what are we going to do about Madam Rosemerta?" she suddenly asked as they got into the inn.

"Alexis!" Madam Rosemerta's sugary voice suddenly sounded as she pulled the skinny, boney girl into a tight hug. Marrick watched with amusement as Alexis attempted to get out of the tight squeeze the land lady was giving her. He didn't know she had been friends with her.

"Hey," Alexis smiled. "You're killing me," she struggled to shake free.

"Oh I just love it when you drop by! You're always so full of news and gossips."

Alexis suddenly shushed the happy woman. "I'm on a mission, sorry, no gossip today."

"Why I'm honored then. You're on a mission and you had the time to drop by."

"Well I'm posing as a student, so please don't give me away," she whispered when she caught sight of Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George sitting over at a large table in the middle of the pub. "I'll give you gossip when I'm done with this job."

Marrick smiled and shook his head as he watched her. "Come on let's grab a seat."

"Two bottles of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey please," Alexis smiled to Rosemerta.

"Should I add it onto your tab?" the woman asked as she began getting the drinks.

"Yes please," the young girl smiled.

"Why don't you get butterbeer? If they see us they'll question how we're able to purchase firewhiskey in the first place. Technically, to them, we're not of age yet."

"Marrick honestly are you daft?" Alexis smiled as he set their stuff down and took a seat. "There's loads more alcohol in firewhiskey than butterbeer. If we try to get drunk off butterbeer you'd be visiting the bathroom at least fifty times before we're done."

"You got a point there. Alright, we won't leave until one of us admits defeat," he smiled. They drank and laughed together the rest of the time there, both grinning foolishly when they were forced to sneak and hide behind the bar counter as some of the students from Hogwarts were leaving, afraid that they'd be recognized and questioned about purchasing firewhiskey.

* * *

><p>While waiting for Remus to return, Tonks couldn't help but wander around his office a bit and look around. Remus office was like a small library, filled with many books and papers that lined the shelves and walls. They were all organized however, everything having its place. Tonks made her way from his large, overfilled bookshelf over to a counter sitting at the window side where a cauldron sat with its lid partially open leaked a faint, familiar smell. She only stumbled once on the overstuffed armchair, but luckily Tonks never fell on her face in Remus' office. When she got over to the cauldron, Tonks carefully lifted the lid up. The scent of the potion inside suddenly overwhelmed her and after being trained by Mad-Eye Moody through Auror training, the first word that came to her mind from the smell of the potion was <em>wolfsbane<em>.

"What would Remus be doing with wolfsbane?" Tonks questioned but she suddenly found her answer. Remus was a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher after all. Perhaps he was brewing it for a lesson about werewolves to his students.

"Sorry did I make you wait long?" Remus asked in a gentle voice as he came inside.

Tonks turned around, placing the lid back on to cover the overwhelming stench of the potion. "No not long," she smiled. "How did it go with Harry?"

"I revealed to him that I knew his parents and how close we were. I didn't tell him about Sirius though. I don't think the boy would be too pleased to learn about that," Remus laughed gently but greatly lacking humor in his voice.

"It must be hard," Tonks spoke, leaning on his desk beside him. "Being in your shoes."

"I've gotten used to it over the years," he shrugged. "After a while, you begin to accept things the way they are, even if you don't like them," he sighed, crossing his arms.

"Things won't always be like this you know," she comforted him. "The light will come."

Remus smiled genuinely as he looked into her eyes and found a vast and endless sea of warmth and comfort he never found anywhere else. It had been the first time he heard something so optimistic said to the likes of him. Normally, people would just apologize and try to sympathize with him. No one ever tried to be optimistic with him. Tonks had been the first, and he found that he liked optimism a lot better than sympathy, especially from Nymphadora Tonks.

Tonks smiled and tilted her head slightly as she watched him. After a while, once she imprinted the look of his gentle blue eyes clearly inside her mind, she finally pushed herself off his desk and swung her arms back and forth. "I probably should patrol the halls otherwise Mad-Eye's going to have my head for not doing my job right," she smiled.

"If you don't mind, I'll join you," Remus offered shyly, scratching the back of his neck.

"That'd be great," she smiled. "I'd love to have some company."

"You're morphing again." It wasn't a question, it was simply a statement. Remus watched as Tonks smirked and changed her hair from bubblegum pink to a sort of mousy brown with a lot of blonde highlights in it. Her facial features only changed slightly, becoming softer and more mature as she shed her school girl façade. Tonks was suddenly slightly taller as well, but still a fair head shorter than he was.

"Is that your natural look?" he asked her in a soft and polite way. He was entranced by how beautiful she naturally was as well with her dark green eyes piercing through him. Remus had to remind himself that Tonks was so much younger than himself and not to think of anything more with her. They wouldn't fit together and he needed to stop looking.

"Mainly," Tonks nodded. "My natural hair color is mousy brown, so boring," she smiled.

"You're very beautiful," he slipped and sincerely told her, a compliment he meant to keep to himself.

She smiled genuinely. "If anyone asks, I'm a seventh year prefect," she smiled. "I never got to be a prefect when I was in school. I guess pretending to be one can still count."

Remus chuckled as they walked out of his office and classroom. "I got to be a prefect."

"See that's not fair. How come you got to be a part of the troublemaking Marauders, _and_ a prefect at the same time?" Tonks teased. "Lexi and I didn't even cause that much trouble."

Remus laughed as he walked alongside her. "I guess the teachers just like me more," he teased, earning himself a playful push from Tonks that instead of tripping him up caused her to stumble a bit and nearly fall. He quickly caught her in time and they laughed together, the sound of their laughter blending in perfect harmony. "You are so clumsy," he teased.

"I know, I swear it will be the death of me," she laughed.

"Did you hear that?" Remus asked once he suddenly heard footsteps trotting through the hall. There was a distinction however. They didn't sound like they were coming from shoes. "You heard it too right?" he asked and Tonks nodded. "But they don't sound like shoes though."

Tonks turned to face him with wide eyes. She could see it forming in his as well as they both thought of whose footsteps it could have been. They took softer, cautious steps towards the end of that hallway, sneaking to catch a glimpse of who it could be. Tonks turned her head around the corner. When she saw who it had been, she pulled Remus up and smiled, sighing and shaking her head. They both sat a large ginger cat looking up at them beside an empty frame a few feet from where they stood.

"False alarm," Tonks sighed. "That's just Crookshanks, Hermione's cat."

"That's a cat?" Remus almost laughed when he realized it had been a cat that alerted him. "It looks like a small tiger," he commented, taking a closer look at Crookshanks.

Tonks laughed and they both went up to the cat, petting it. Tonks was playing around with Hermione's clever cat while Remus eyed the empty frame with a skeptical look. He scratched his chin in thought and tried moving the frame a bit but nothing happened. Tonks turned to him and wondered what was worrying him.

"Sirius may have remembered some secret entrances to the castle," he pointed out.

"How?" Tonks questioned as she set Crookshanks down and the cat ran away.

"The Marauder's Map," Remus replied. "The four of us made it and Sirius may have memorized some of it up until this day. It seems unlikely, but it's still a possibility."

"Well where is the Marauder's Map?" Tonks asked, recalling the infamous map that had been rumored to exist amongst the students and confirmed when Remus just mentioned it. "If we have it, we might be able to find Sirius."

"Unfortunately, Filch confiscated it from us before we graduated."

"Can't we go to Filch to get it back?"

Remus smirked. "I've tried that. Apparently, some students have taken it from his office before I got there," he replied. "I guess we're out of luck."

Tonks sighed and slumped her shoulders, causing the professor to laugh at her childish behavior. She smiled when she made him laugh and straightened up. They continued to walk for a long while in companionable silence. Tonks was thinking about the upcoming festival at Hogsmeade next week and wondered if Remus could go with her. She would've asked Alexis, but her silly cousin seemed too wrapped up over an old enemy turned friend at the moment.

"Remus, have to ever gone to the Full Moon Festival at Hogsmeade every year?"

She noticed that Remus tensed considerably and wondered if she had said something wrong. Tonks thought over her words again and was certain she didn't say anything that might insult him, did she? "Actually I've never gone to the festival once in my entire life," Remus replied after a few moments. His body eased up a bit but his voice still showed stiffness.

"Really?" Tonks replied, surprised. "Are you planning on going next week?"

"No, unfortunately I'll be a little tied up next week," Remus replied in a softer voice but didn't look at her. "Are you attending?" he added a bit more casually.

"I guess I am," she nodded sincerely. "I've never missed one while I was in school."

"What's the festival like?" he asked, feeling at a loss for never even being able to have one look at the famous festival that happened every year.

"Very fun," Tonks smiled, knowing she could go on and on. "There are so many lights and colors. There are a lot of games you can play and plenty of muggle rides that I rather enjoy. There're lots and lots of food as well and so many people go there. If you don't know Hogsmeade well, you could end up getting lost. It's also rumored that during the festival, the Shrieking Shack gets the most active. I can't wait to go this year."

Remus tensed once again but tried to smile as Tonks continued to describe all the fun festivities he never knew. When she had mentioned the Shrieking Shack, Remus began fearing that what if some students decided to pay it a visit during the full moon? He would need to find a new place to transform then. But unfortunately, he'd already arranged it with Professor Dumbledore that he would be utilizing the Shrieking Shack again. He could only hope that no one would be brave enough to pay the shack a visit on that one night.

* * *

><p>In the evening after all the students have returned from their visit to Hogsmeade, the teachers and staff, along with the headmaster were suddenly called to the Gryffindor common room after The Fat Lady had been forced to flee from her portrait with claims of Sirius Black paying her a visit. Remus and Tonks stood together, watching as Albus Dumbledore easily calmed his students down while giving out orders for the teachers to secure the castle. Most of the Aurors were already inside the common room checking it for any trace of Black while the Unspeakables were concealed with their locators in hand, searching for him.<p>

"Maybe we really did hear his footsteps earlier today," Remus whispered to Tonks.

"So he must have used a secret passage way he remembered then," she replied.

Remus nodded. "At least Harry's safe and I don't think he got into the common room, that's why he shredded The Fat Lady's portrait." He looked around in his old common room and found that there seemed to be no traces of the man who had once been his best friend.

"We really have to catch Sirius now don't we?" Tonks asked. She didn't want to have her cousin's freedom stripped away from him so soon, but he was beginning to pose as a greater threat to the students. As an Auror she could give him no more leniencies. "We have to catch him before he ends up hurting somebody."

Remus nodded and was about to voice more of his opinions until suddenly, Mad-Eye Moody clonked down the stairs, his mechanical eye whirling madly in its socket. "Where's Alexis and Marrick?" he grunted, not happy with letting a criminal slip in right under his nose.

"They're puking in the bathroom," Tonks replied casually, unfazed by the intimidation of her old mentor. "It doesn't look like he's been in here. I think it's better to check the castle."

"That's what I think too. Come on then. Remus, if you'd like please help out too. We're now an Auror and an Unspeakable short," he grunted and clonked away, grumbling something about Alexis and Marrick being so irresponsible.

"Are Alexis and Marrick ok?" Remus asked as he and Tonks exited the common room.

"Of course they are," Tonks replied, trying to smile even after what had just happened. "They just had a little too much alcohol in their system, absolutely nothing to worry about. But for us, we should find the Marauder's Map soon. I think it will be of great help."

Remus nodded in agreement and continued to accompany her as he ended up patrolling the inside of the castle in a lookout for the man who had once been his closest friend. They walked in companionable silence at first, Tonks pondering about what Sirius wanted with Harry. According to the Wizarding World, he'd already killed the boy's parents. Remus though had a million thoughts in his mind as they walked. He was trying to remember as many of the secret passageways as he can but only a few obvious ones came to mind. His thoughts were also distracted by a very unique metamorphmagus Auror that walked so closely beside him.


	6. Can't Fight the Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

Hey, sorry it took so long to update. I've been writing more chapters to this story and I'm on chapter 14 right now, I just wanted to wait till I get the definite plot and twists worked out, sorry. Anyways, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 06 – Can't Fight the Moonlight<strong>

Before long, the September full moon had approached, and with it also meant the famous Full Moon Festival, a tradition in Hogsmeade Village and one of the events most Hogwarts students looked forward to the most. It was still a while before sun down but students were already gathered at one of the gates of Hogwarts, waiting for the time where their professor would allow them out of the school and head down to the village before the festival began.

Tonks was dressed in her casual, walking around the less crowded halls of Hogwarts and looking around for a particular someone. She wore a violet tee with the legend _The Weird Sisters_ printed in yellow across her chest, a black overcoat over top. Her jeans were holey beyond belief and her hair had changed from pink to a violent shade of violet to match her shirt. She passed several students and teachers in the hallway but she still didn't find who she was looking for.

"If you're looking for Lexi, I think she's already at the gate with Marrick and Fred and George," Hermione told Tonks as she and Ron came up from behind her.

"No actually I'm looking for Professor Lupin," Tonks replied, giving up her search.

Hermione cooed while Ron just rolled his eyes at his friend. "Why Professor Lupin?"

"It's not what you think," Tonks laughed and shook her head. "He looked sick yesterday and I just wanted to make sure if he's alright. He told me he never went to the Full Moon Festival as a student here so I didn't want him to miss all the fun. After all, the teachers are heading down too, just look at McGonagall."

Hermione nodded. "That's true. Professor Lupin did look unwell yesterday."

"Wait Tonks, how come you knew Lupin never went to the festival?" Ron asked.

Tonks was about to respond when she saw that familiar grin on Hermione's face. She decided to just ignore the question less she drove some other crazy idea into the kid's mind. As she walked, Tonks thought that even if she did like Professor Lupin, there was nothing wrong with it. Technically he wasn't her teacher and they were both adults. Tonks shook her head, wondering why she was even thinking that way. She continued walking, joining the group of students gathered around the gates. She spotted Alexis first, her raven black hair an obvious sign and her patrician beauty from the Black family another give away. Then she saw Marrick, and finally the mischievous grinning faces of Fred and George Weasley. They were all dressed in their casuals, talking, laughing, and the boys looked like they all teamed up to tease Lexi.

"Hey Tonks, ready to go?" Lexi asked. "I'm going to stick with you. Men are prats."

"Hey, we're no prat," George defended immediately.

"Our brother Percy is a prat but we aren't," Fred added.

"And maybe Marrick is a bit of a prat," George smiled.

"Wow thanks guys, thanks so much," Marrick replied, smiling.

"We're all sticking together through the festival right?" Tonks asked.

"Hopefully," Lexi nodded as she linked a finger in her skinny jean pocket, her plaid teal flannel completing her usual style of a formal but casual look. "Oh and be wary, I think the twins are planning something," she whispered quickly to Tonks.

"Great. Then we all have to pay a visit to the Shrieking Shack," Ron smiled.

The students began heading out of the gates, all following behind Professor McGonagall. The crowd of rowdy, anxious kids were all full of energy, their excitement rubbing off on Tonks as she felt like a Hogwarts student all over again, excited to get down to Hogsmeade. And just have fun with no rules to break unlike Hogwarts.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" Hermione suddenly asked, walking close to Tonks. "I mean I heard rumors that the Shrieking Shack really is active during this festival. What if we…run into something we can't handle?"

Tonks grinned and patted Hermione's shoulder, reassuring her. "There's nothing to fear."

"When you're with my cousin, the only thing you have to fear is her falling on you."

"Hey, you're asking for a hex there," Tonks replied, swatting her cousin's arm.

As they neared Hogwarts, Tonks couldn't help but notice the civil friendship Alexis and Marrick both had going. They were chatting happily, and she didn't seem to be getting angry or frustrated with him. Fred and George were happily planning something, something Tonks was afraid to become a victim of. She also noticed Ron and Hermione throwing shy glances at each other, seeming like there was something more between the two than friendship, but they were too young and naïve to realize it just yet. Tonks could see it however, because she's technically a twenty-one year old auror and because of training under Mad-Eye, she could see most things.

* * *

><p>The Full Moon Festival at Hogsmeade Village was just as she remembered it. Tonks' eyes lit up at the brilliant and colorful lights that danced around the roads. The shops were all set up with many colors, and the streets were filled with rides, games, shops, and sweets. She followed behind Fred and George Weasley, Ron and Hermione at their side while Tonks walked close by her cousin Alexis Black and co-worker Marrick Kingston. Tonks and Alexis grinned at each other, memories returning to them. They both hadn't been to the festival in years and it was a good feeling to be able to enjoy it again, even if they technically were on a mission.<p>

After a while, the group began to split up, being pulled in various directions by the many attractions of the festival. Alexis had stayed with Marrick the longest but because of her curious nature she'd lost him after bouncing over to a stand that claimed to sell various prank potions with humorous effects. The raven haired girl stood there, looking around, searching for anything that could be of use to her maybe later on.

"A little lost are we?" one of the Weasley twin suddenly asked.

She turned around quickly and raised an eyebrow at the young prankster. "Not lost," she smiled. "Quelling my curiosity," she replied. Alexis wondered where his twin was, but her unasked question was answered when she spotted the other red head walking beside her violet haired cousin. Something clicked within her mind and she smirked, watchful of this twin.

"I'd like all of these," he spoke, handing a handful of nuts and sickles to the merchant as he grabbed an armful of colorful potion bottles.

"Those have humorous effects you know. Stocking up for a prank are we?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I planned on using them all on one prank," he smirked.

"George, telling an expert prankster that you're going to prank her isn't the brightest idea," Alexis spoke, shaking her head and casually walking beside him, her very own mischievous smirk playing across her face as she discreetly kept an eye on him.

George Weasley raised an eyebrow, still holding onto the armful of potion bottles. "Unless if you are an expert prankster as well," George smirked. "And what if I'm not George? What if I'm Fred? I _am_ Fred, you've got it wrong."

"No you're George Weasley," Alexis smiled genuinely and nodded. She seemed so sure which surprised him. "Quite a sight. The Weasley Twin has split up for this prank. Fred is with Tonks I bet, and you're here to try and prank me."

He watched her for a moment, forgetting he had an armful of potion bottles in his hands. He was surprised. Usually, it was quite hard for people to be able to tell him apart from his twin Fred. Even their own mother gets confused sometimes. And usually, if George began claiming he was Fred, people began to believe him. But yet Lexi seemed so certain who he was, and she was right, he _was_ George. He found it interesting how she knew. And by looking at her, he noticed that she had a very distinct beauty to her that under those sharp and defined features, under that exotic beauty, was a more subtle nature. Yes, George Weasley can be sensitive and sentimental too, he just chose not to show it and found Lexi quite similar to himself.

"How do you know I'm George?" he asked, continuing to test her. "And these potion bottles in my arms are like a ticking time bomb." George had been careful to pick up only the kind of potions where once it had direct contact with the skin, its effect would take place.

"Please," Lexi smirked. "I've been able to tell you apart from your twin ever since we met. I'm rather good at observations you know. And yes these potion bottles are a ticking time bomb, but you're the one carrying them so I don't have to worry."

George smiled at her once, impressed that she could tell him apart. Then he followed through with his plan, tripping Alexis up so that he could empty the contents of the bottles on her, having their humorous effects take place on her. He stuck a foot in front of her and she stumbled over it but quickly regained her balance. Quickly George took out his wand and with a quick wave opened all the bottles as they began pouring on her. He expected his brilliant plan to work. He and his brother Fred had been planning it for days, even sneaking out of Hogwarts to make sure that the merchant who sold those potion bottles would be there for the festival.

He grinned, expecting his plan to work. What George never expected was for time to suddenly slow down. He watched wide-eyed as Alexis suddenly had her wand out. She mumbled something and the potions froze in mid-air, not a drop touching her. Too distracted at the sight, George wasn't able to counter when Lexi suddenly flicked her wand again and the potions turned to face him. Then time moved again and all the colorful liquid of the potions poured on him.

"No fair!" George yelled, partially laughing at the failure of his own plan while drenched.

"Lesson number one," Lexi smirked as the potions took their effects. "Never, _ever_, prank someone older than you. Chances are they know counter spells you don't," she winked.

As Alexis walked ahead, George laughed while the potions began changing him. Some were turning his skin in various colors, one gave him a pig snout, and another was turning his hair from flaming red to a weird looking shade between green and blue. He tried to shake the potions off himself, hoping that the effects won't last too long.

"Yours failed too eh Georgie?" Fred asked, walking up to George with his hands in his pockets and Tonks laughing her head off behind him. "I'd say yours backfired as well."

"Reckon I'm still better looking than you though. What was the flaw in your plan?"

"Tonks is a metamorphmagus. These kinds of potions don't work on her."

"I thought you boys figured this out," Tonks laughed, as Hermione and Ron joined them, all amused at the odd morph George had taken up as a result from the potion backfire.

"I thought you two said it would work," Ron spoke. "I had a bet with Harry you'd win against Tonks and Lexi in pranks. They're your specialty."

"Obviously _we're_ the best in pranks," Lexi teased, leaning back and smirking.

"There you are, I've been looking for you everywhere," Marrick spoke as he rushed over to them, a grin crossing his face as he looked at George. By that time, George's pig snout had changed to that of large beak that looked like it belonged to a tropical bird while his hair turned to a bright shade of blue and parts of his pale skin began to sparkle from the potion. "What happened?" Marrick asked, holding back his laughter.

"Our plan to prank these two backfired," Fred spoke for his twin who was laughing.

"I told you these two are the best," Marrick laughed and went over to walk beside Lexi.

"This isn't over," George spoke with a confident tone. "We'll prove we're the best."

When the sun began to set, the group had wandered from the busy festive and colorful streets of Hogsmeade to the wired fence that separated the grounds of the village from the infamous Shrieking Shack. They all gathered around the fence, looking at the large, haunting house, debating what they should do next. The sun was setting over the horizon and at one angle the house looked even more terrifying than it ever was before. Tonks stared at it, standing close to Hermione, both were scared. Fred and George crossed their arms and smirked at one another, George's features finally back to normal. Tonks was looking at the shack curiously, wondering what exactly was inside it, her auror curiosity driving her.

"Someone should go in there," the twins spoke together.

"Not alone," Hermione added, watching the shack carefully.

"I'd say it'd make for a very good dare," Fred said, smirking.

"Alright," George smiled. "Lexi I dare you to go in there."

Alexis scoffed and shook her head. "In no way am I going in there. I happen to believe in the rumors and stories about the shack," she spoke, taking a step back.

"Wow, I never thought you'd back away from anything," Marrick smiled at her.

"I'm no daredevil Marrick, you should know, we've talked about this before," she spoke, rolling her eyes at him and then returned to shaking her head at Fred and George.

"Aw you're no fun," Fred commented. "Alright Tonks."

"No, god, please don't dare her," Lexi spoke but was too late as Fred spoke over her.

"Tonks, I dare you to go into the shack," Fred smirked.

Alexis slapped her forehead. "Unlike me, Tonks _is_ a daredevil," she groaned.

Looking at the shack, Tonks had second guesses about it, but Ron suddenly spoke in. "We triple Fluffy dare you," Ron added. "And Fluffy is a Hagrid's three-headed dog, so that means nine heads Tonks. You can't refuse."

"Ronald," Hermione spoke warningly, shaking her head at him.

Tonks took in a deep breath and nodded her head firmly. "Alright I'll do it."

"For god's sake Tonks," Alexis groaned.

"Relax," she smiled. "I'm an auror," she whispered to her cousin and Marrick.

"She'll be fine," Marrick comforted the raven haired girl who was shaking her head. "She is a very good auror after all. Some auror missions are even scarier than this."

"Yeah but she's Tonks," Alexis sighed.

"Oh bloody hell, I'm not dead clumsy when the situation calls for it," Tonks replied as she began walking beyond the fence, towards the Shrieking Shack. The sun was setting in the horizon and the shadow that it was casting over the house suddenly made it look more appalling. Tonks decided that being an auror, she'd go into missions that were much worse than this in the future and that the Shrieking Shack was nothing to be afraid of. Besides, most of the terrifying stories about the shack were probably made up by students anyways to scare other students. It was probably just an abandoned old house that no one cared to clean up. And maybe the rumors about the screams that people heard from the shack were all bogus.

"She's really doing it," Hermione spoke, watching Tonks nervously as she came closer.

"Tonks never refuses a dare," Alexis explained. "She's so bloody reckless."

"If she actually goes in there, Tonks has my entire respect," Ron commented.

"Weren't there rumors about the shack being haunted?" Marrick asked.

"And people say they hear terrifying screams from the shack," the twins spoke together.

"And legend has it that the shack is most active during this festival," Ron added.

"Oh Merlin hush up all of you," Alexis sighed, now truly worried about Tonks. The Shrieking Shack had also been around when they went to school and they were all too familiar with the many stories people told of the haunting shack. There was a reason why it was named the most haunted house in Britain. "God Tonks you reckless nut," Lexi breathed.

* * *

><p>Approaching what she made out to be the front door of the Shrieking Shack, Tonks through a quick glance back to her small group of friends gathered just behind the fence, all watching her intently. She swallowed hard before pressing forward and walking into the shack. Tonks could've sworn she heard Ron's voice saying something in a surprised tone. Her heart was beating fast, feeling like it could burst right out of her chest. She took a step inside, and then another step, standing in the middle of what seemed to be the living room.<p>

The shack was falling apart. Its walls were grey and the floorboards had holes in it. She could see through the ceiling onto another wall, and there were marks on the walls, as if they were claw marks. Tonks felt a lump in her throat. She forced it down, repeating over and over to herself inside her mind that she was an auror. The Shrieking Shack should be nothing to her. That was good practice for her future career, she thought. Tonks took another step inside, her heart fastening in pace. Like Mad-Eye had taught her, she continued to look around. There were minimal furnishings in the shack, but all the furniture had been ripped apart. It looked as if an animal had ravaged through here, tearing everything to shreds.

"_It's ok to feel a little scared,_" Tonks thought, comforting herself.

Suddenly, Tonks heard what sounded like a click and she turned around. The house suddenly warded itself off, she knew, she could tell when a faint veil covered the window. She only saw it because she was close up. Panicking, Tonks ran for the door, stumbling a bit on her way there. She tried to open it but the door was locked. No, it wouldn't even budge. Tonks took out her wand and quickly sent a _reducto_ at the door but it rebounded and Tonks had to duck to not get hit by her own curse. Then she realized that there had to be another witch or wizard inside the house because no house warded itself off on its own, even if it was rumored to be haunted. Tonks gripped her wand tightly, leaning on the door as she turned around and faced the inside of the house again, her heart dropping.

"_There's nothing to be afraid of,_" she thought to herself as she took slow steps deeper into the house. If she couldn't get out through the front door, she wasn't going to wait around. She had to find an opening and get out of that shack. "_It's probably just some mental witch or wizard wanting to play a prank during the festival. Or maybe a very daring student wanting to play a prank since they can't do this at Hogwarts,_" she continued thinking.

The shack was creaking with every step she took and luckily, Tonks' clumsiness knew that now was not the time to pay her a visit. She took careful steps deeper into the shack. Soon she found herself ascending the creaking wooden stairs of the graying shack, the only light coming from the light outside of the house.

Tonks arrived in a room that looked like a study or library of some sort. The first thing she noticed were all the old books lying around, collecting dust. She swallowed hard as she walked into the room, looking around. Her eyes lit up when she saw an open window that was facing the side of the horizon where the moon would be rising from that night. Quickly without looking anywhere else, Tonks rushed towards the window, trying to get out. It was as if an invisible force field had been placed around the entire house as she bounced back from the open window. Tonks landed on her bum but quickly scurried back to her feet, gripping her wand tighter. Somehow, she felt that whoever was in that house with her didn't plan on playing any pranks that night. The spell used on the house was strong.

She heard some sounds coming from another room and headed towards it. She hoped to find the witch or wizard responsible, catch whoever it was, and demand a way out of the creepy shack she was now trapped in. Tonks still walked slowly and cautiously. She was in the most haunted house in Britain, in the early evening, during a night where it was rumored that the shack was the most active. Perhaps recklessly accepting a dare from the Weasleys wasn't the smartest thing she'd ever done.

"Nymphadora?" a soft voice called her name.

Instinctively, Tonks snapped, "Don't call me Nymphadora!" But then she stopped. Someone had just called her Nymphadora. Tonks turned sharply in the direction of the voice.

Once inside the room, she paused. There she stood, with her wand pointed up at the man. And at the end of her wand was the ever kind and gentle face of Professor Remus Lupin, Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. He looked tired and worn, even more ill than he seemed yesterday. He wore only a shabby jumper and trousers, the most casual attire she'd ever seen him in ever since meeting him a month ago.

"Remus?" Tonks questioned, raising an eyebrow. Sure she'd learned that Remus was a Marauder, but it didn't seem like him to actually journey to the Shrieking Shack to play a prank on daring students. But then Tonks looked back at the invisible barrier Remus had placed on the house and realized it was no prank. Remus meant business.

"Nymph…Tonks," he cleared his throat. "What are you doing here?" he asked, worried.

"I…I've been dared by the kids to come in here," she replied, lowering her wand.

"Don't lower your wand Tonks," Remus spoke quickly. "You'll need to keep your guard up against me," he added, sighing, seeming tired and very, very stressed out.

"What is going on?" Tonks questioned. She didn't raise her wand again because surely Remus couldn't harm her. She didn't know what he was doing there or what he was afraid of. "Remus why are you here? I've been looking everywhere for you today. And now you're here? Surely this isn't some odd joke. And why did you place such a strong charm on the house?"

"It was to keep others from coming in and to keep me from getting out," he breathed, his breath becoming heavy as the sun disappeared from the horizon. "You must have gotten in right before I set the wards."

"How do I get out?"

"I'm afraid you can't Tonks. I…I've set it so that it wouldn't undo itself until the sun rises tomorrow morning."

"What? So you basically locked yourself in here? Why would you do that?"

"Nymphadora…"

"Don't call me Nymphadora. It's Dora to you or Tonks, never Nymphadora."

He nodded weakly. "Ok Dora…" he began hesitantly. "I…" Remus was scared to tell her, mainly because he was afraid of what she'd do if he told her. He wasn't afraid of getting hexed by her, he was afraid of the usual reaction he'd get whenever he told people about his dangerous little secret. Usually he'd get slaps or screams, shrieks of terror even. Rarely would he get some sympathy, but he didn't want any of it from Tonks. He was content with their friendship before, but now he had to tell her. And he was afraid. "I…I'm a werewolf."

Silence…

"Tonks get out of the room," Remus ordered her in a stern, firmer voice than he ever used before. He saw the moon begin to rise from the corner of his eyes and he knew that the transformation was quickly approaching. Though he was on wolfsbane, he didn't want to risk hurting Tonks. And it surprised him when she didn't react at all to the awful truth he told her.

"What?" Tonks replied, confused.

He didn't expect Tonks to not believe him. "Nymphadora I'm a werewolf. Get out of this room," he spoke, his worry getting the better of his usually calm nature. "The moon…"

The moon's pull on him was too great. Remus couldn't finish his sentence as he suddenly doubled over in pain. Even though he'd taken the wolfsbane potion which allowed him to keep his mind, he still had to endure the painful transformation like any other werewolf. He bent over, his face cringing and twisted in pain. Like always, he'd try to fight the transformation, a futile battle. He'd fight it hard but to no avail. Remus groaned at first and then realized his voice was turning into somewhat of a growl, though not piercing loud but loud enough to sound painful.

Hopelessly confused, Tonks stared at Remus for a moment. When he doubled over in pain, she knew he wasn't joking about being a werewolf. She hadn't expected it however, because it was so sudden, and it probably wasn't a good idea to catch a werewolf on a full moon, no matter how gentle he was on the other twenty-nine days of the month. She was in shock and didn't know what she was doing or what she should do. Tonks watched, frozen as Remus began groaning, fighting the pain that was obviously too much for his frail body.

Without thinking, she suddenly rushed over to him, helping him up as his body cringed in pain from the transformation. She held onto him tight while calling his name as if trying to help him fight the transformation, fight the pull of the moon, but to no avail. It was a futile effort.

"Professor Lupin," she called. "Remus! Remus Lupin!" she called but he didn't answer. He couldn't. Her eyes widened as she suddenly hugged him tight in her arms, feeling her heart drop painfully having to witness all the pain that he was in. Her heart was pounding, threatening to burst as she watched him. His body then began to change. She could hear the sick crunching sound of the bones as it seemed as if his human body was breaking to fit that of the wolf's. His back elongated, his feet lengthened and his face shifted into that of a long snout. Hair grew from all over his body, light brown hair, the same shade as his hair. It looked like a painful transformation and Remus' hands rested on her shoulders for support. Tonks could feel them turn into claws and luckily Remus had pushed himself back and out of her hold before he could do anything to hurt her. His soft blue eyes turned to dark amber, the eyes of a wolf.

Within a few minutes, before her stood a fully grown werewolf with dark amber eyes and light brown fur. The wolf looked lanky and malnourished but still had a human side as he was standing on his hind legs, his long back hunched over. Tonks wondered why he didn't attack but then she suddenly remembered the wolfsbane potion she'd found in Remus' classroom a while ago. It wasn't for his class demonstration, it was for him.

"_How did I miss this?_" Tonks questioned herself as she began to connect all the dots, piecing two and two together. "_The shabby clothes, the many jobs, he tenses whenever we mention werewolves. He's never been to the Full Moon Festival because obviously he couldn't in this state. He has wolfsbane potion in his office. And his nickname is Moony for god's sake!_"

Looking at the werewolf Remus Lupin in the eye, Tonks fell silent. She saw in his amber eyes the pain and the fear. He wasn't a scary, menacing wolf like so many had made werewolves out to be. No, Remus Lupin was hurt, broken, and afraid. She could see it all through his eyes. She didn't know whether standing there was a smart thing, but all that day Tonks hadn't been making the best decisions so one more terrible decision probably wouldn't hurt. Besides, he wasn't attacking her. Of course, he had wolfsbane potion and through auror training, she knew that when a werewolf was on wolfsbane potion it still got to keep its mind. So behind the fangs, claws, and fur, was still Remus Lupin.

Tonks took a small step forward. "Remus?" she asked softly.

The wolf pulled back from her, trailing over to a boarded up window where images of the full moon could be seen. Suddenly, Remus howled. She expected that, he was a wolf after all. His howl was long and sorrowful, with an underlying message that if he sounded in his human form, he'd be crying. Tonks didn't cringe or back away at his howl. Instead she took another step forward. Remus howled again and then slowly stopped. He turned to look at her, eyes weary but cautious. Tonks took the chance to take another step, a bigger step closer to him. She reached out her hand slowly, her wand in her other hand, pointed away from him.

"Remus, are you ok?" she asked. She didn't know why she asked but she did.

He was quiet. He looked at her through soft, tired eyes. Tonks suddenly smiled which caused him to react in surprise. Tonks' smile widened at the sudden, very human-like expression on his face. She could just imagine his eyebrow rising up in surprise if he was in his human form. She placed a soft hand on his fur at the side of his head, petting him. She petted him softly and he backed away at first, but she didn't push. Instead she just waited. Slowly, Tonks began to pet him again. She could feel his intense warmth under all that fur.

She laughed a little, feeling that though it seemed like a terrible time to make a joke, she needed a joke to get her to relax at that moment. "It's early in the evening and I'm standing here petting a completely harmless werewolf that was also a D.A.D.A. teacher, ironic," she smiled.

Remus' eyes rose again and she chuckled a little by the human expression on his face.

"We're friends right? As long as you're not trying to eat me, I'm staying here," she smiled and then pulled back from him casually, pacing the room a little awkwardly. She wondered what you do when you're pretty much trapped in a shack with a werewolf. Tonks swung her arm back and forth, looking around the shack, taking note that the terrible and haunting condition of the shack must have been Remus' doing if he'd been a werewolf long enough. "I guess I'm trapped here until morning," she sighed.

Tonks watched as Remus trotted over to the far corner of the room, as far away from her as possible and laid down on his belly, resting his head on his front legs or claws. He looked completely tamed, almost like a large pet wolf as she would call it. His eyes were on her, watching her, but Tonks knew he was just worried because after all, she was stuck in the company of a werewolf until morning.

She sighed and dropped down to her knees, using her wand to charm a piece of shredded curtain into a large, fluffy blanket. "Do you want one?" she asked him, holding up the blanket.

Remus didn't respond but somehow, the look in his eyes told her he'd appreciate one.

Tonks charmed him a warm blanket as well and walked over to place it over him.

After a little tossing and turning, Tonks found a comfortable position lying on her belly with her head propped up on her hands very close to Remus. She had nothing else to do since she was trapped in there. Tonks watched Remus as Remus watched her. Then she laughed at herself for a moment and Remus' eyes suddenly quirked up as if wondering why she was laughing.

Tonks decided to answer him even though he didn't ask. It wasn't like there was anything else to do. "If you're wondering why I'm laughing, I'm laughing at myself because I'm in the room with a harmless werewolf, yawning and growing bored. Isn't that weird?" she smiled.

Remus' eyes softened and shifted down again after she told him so, as if she had answered his question. Suddenly, an ethereal image of a patronus floated through the door from downstairs. Remus was sure that no one else was in the house, but he had forgotten to close the shack off from patronus forms as well. He recognized it to be a patronus message that the Order of the Phoenix he was once in used to use to communicate. He remembered that Tonks was after all Mad-Eye Moody's mentee and he must have taught it to her. And he connected the dots that no doubt Tonks had taught her cousin that spell as well.

"Tonks are you alright? What the world happened? What's going on?" the patronus form asked in Alexis' familiar airy voice but lacking its playful edge. Remus could see clearly that the patronus was in the form of a bird, perhaps a swallow by the shape of its tail and body.

Tonks sent a patronus back to her cousin quickly. Remus knew she probably had no trouble with it at all, being taught by Mad-Eye Moody. The man really did teach everything to his mentee. Remus noted that Tonks' patronus was a ferret and he was curious to know why. But he couldn't ask her, not in his current form and so he kept quiet.

For a while, Remus continued to watch her and she continued to watch him. Tonks quickly grew bored of the silence and began talking, speaking about the most random things. She talked about the weather, about the festival, about how it felt being back at Hogwarts. She even told him about her day, how Fred had tried to prank her, at least she thinks it was Fred Weasley. She's still kind of fuzzy on which twin was which and they kept trying to confuse her. Tonks continued talking to him and Remus would respond with the simplest of gestures that Tonks grew to understand. It was mostly through the look in his eyes and the soft noises he'd make from the back of his throat that got his message through to her, somehow.

"…and so by some random conversation, the Weasley Twins are trying to prank Lexi and I and we're supposed to try to prank them back. This happened a week ago and I thought they'd forget. They'd been planning it all for tonight but their little prank failed because George tripped up and ended up getting the potions on himself instead of Lexi and Fred forgot that I'm a metamorphmagus and it won't work on me because I already could change myself."

Lying there, Remus continued listening to her talk. It was a lot better than what he usually did on a full moon, which was lie alone somewhere and wallow in his depression about all the faults of his life that he didn't have the heart to complain about to tell anyone else about. Somehow, listening to Tonks talk made his full moon a lot better. Often times she'd tell him something really funny and he'd be laughing. He wished she could see it by his gestures that she was doing good in amusing him.

"…so thankfully since coming to Hogwarts for this mission, Lexi have broken free of her suicidal dating ways and I think she's finally settled on one guy. I think she has her eye on Marrick, you remember him right? They used to hate each other but after getting to know him, he isn't that bad of a bloke. Though I don't know how they're going to work out because Lexi is clever and she loves to break rules or do anything you tell her _not_ to do, though not recklessly like me, and Marrick is a by-the-book person. If they're together they probably will fight a lot."

The night grew longer and usually Remus would be asleep by now, but he was kept awake listening intently to Tonks' many stories. She'd yawn a few times, but she didn't look like she'd be sleeping soon. Maybe it was just hard to fall asleep in the Shrieking Shack.

"…Lexi and I would talk about Sirius sometimes. I know you don't like him but our opinions of him will never change unless we see firsthand that he's actually gone mad and is out to kill. We never truly believed Sirius betrayed your friend James Potter. To be honest, I always thought it'd be that Peter guy. He seemed like such a pushover that he'd probably sell them out if you tell him you'll let him live. At least that's what Sirius always told us. He talks about his friends a lot when he babysat us. Sometimes it's annoying when it's Moony this or Prongs that, but often it'd be pretty fun too, hearing all the wild things you guys did," Tonks continued on, seeming like she had an endless collection of stories and things to say.

* * *

><p>They stood at the fence as the sun set and the moon rose slowly above the horizon. Alexis was worried, wondering why Tonks didn't come out. She'd gotten into the house already and technically had already completed her dare. She gripped the wired fence tightly, her knuckles turning white as Alexis Black began worrying for her cousin, her worry present on her face.<p>

"Relax," Marrick spoke to her, comforting her. "She'll be ok. She's an auror."

"You lovers comforting each other?" George Weasley suddenly teased them. "I _knew_ Marrick had a thing for smart Ravenclaw girls," he spoke and managed to bring a small smile to Alexis' face, slightly distracting her from worrying about Tonks.

"Why is she in there so long?" Hermione suddenly asked, bringing Lexi's smile down again. "She could have gone out by now."

"Unless something got her," Ron spoke nervously.

"Ronald!" Hermione snapped her eyes turning to Alexis whose face had paled.

From the shack, there suddenly was a long, mournful howl. It sounded like it came from a wolf as it echoed through the empty night. Alexis' body tensed immediately and she gripped the wire fence so hard she could've broken off a piece of the wire. Under the moonlight, everyone around could see her dark eyes shoot up in worry and her bloody drained from her face.

"Oh bloody hell," Alexis breathed as she was about to run in there to the shack.

Marrick suddenly held her back as Fred and George came over to them, Ron and Hermione too, all looking worried. "No wait, you can't go in there."

"My cousin's in there!" Alexis shrieked, fighting off Marrick's hold.

That was the first time they all heard Alexis' voice rise. Usually she was laid back and carefree, always smiling and purposely pushing people's button for her own amusement. She rarely ever looked nervous or anxious. And she rarely raised her voice. Though Marrick was an auror, he wasn't able to hold her back without hurting her, pinning her to the ground. Alexis broke free of his hold and darted towards the shack, her fear being second to her worrying.

"Alexis!" Marrick called as he chased after her, trying to grab her.

"Lexi!" one of the twins' voices called and then soon followed by Ron and Hermione.

The run to the shack was a lot quicker than a walk and soon they all had arrived at what appeared to be the front door of the Shrieking Shack. The group of six stood back at the front door of the shack. Marrick took a hold of Alexis' arm a little too roughly but she shook him off just as rough as she fearlessly came up to the door and tried to open it. Much to their surprise, there seemed to be an invisible veil on the door. Alexis banged on it, the carefree and reserved girl replaced with a worried and distressed one.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" she asked, kicking the door.

"The whole house is warded off," Marrick informed her.

"But Tonks wouldn't do that," Lexi replied quickly.

"Tonks doesn't even know these kinds of charms. We're only in our third year," Hermione spoke, turning to Lexi and Marrick. "And even sixth years wouldn't be capable of warding off an entire house."

"Is there any way we can contact her and make sure she's alright?" George asked.

Lexi was quiet for a moment, slowly returning to her witty, thoughtful self. She stroked her cheekbone in that familiar way they all grew to recognize, showing that she was thinking. "I know a way," she suddenly announced after a short moment. "I tricked Moody to teach me this after I found out he taught Tonks it," she announced, seeming more towards Marrick.

They all watched as Alexis took out her wand and waved it in a small circle as she summoned up an ethereal animal. It looked like a bird of some sort. "A swallow," George spoke, the first to recognize the form the animal took. It was white and ghostly, floating through the door of the house and hopefully up to Tonks.

"That looks a lot like a spell Professor Lupin once used," Hermione pointed out.

"And who's Moody?" Ron questioned.

Alexis tucked her wand back into her back pocket as she shrugged to him, her face still pale and worried. It appears they were waiting now as the group stood there, staring up at the shack. Fred and George were close together, feeling odd from being so close to the Shrieking Shack. Hermione gasped once when she realized she was a mere five feet away from the Shrieking Shack and took Ron's hand in fear. He looked at her nervously.

After a short moment of waiting, another ethereal figure bounced down towards them. They all recognized that it wasn't Alexis' swallow however. It was a ferret by its long body shape and figure. It was the same ethereal image just like Lexi's swallow, and it must have been the reply that Alexis and Marrick had been waiting for.

The animal emitted a message in Tonks' familiar voice as if it had recorded her saying that to them. "Lexi I'm fine. It's hard to explain but I'm perfectly safe here. Don't worry. It's late, get back to the school. I'll meet you there in the morning at the Great Hall."

"What was that?" the twins asked together.

"Just a spell I learned," Alexis replied quickly, turning to Marrick as if questioning him if she should trust Tonks' words. She then turned to face George, then Fred, Ron, and Hermione. She let out a breath and sighed. "Do you guys feel like camping here for the rest of the night?"

Ron looked up at the shack and accidentally let out a soft whimper and shook his head.

"What about Tonks?" Hermione asked, worried.

Alexis turned back to the shack and sighed. "I trust she'll be alright," she replied softly.

Marrick suddenly took her hand and squeezed it slightly, reassuring her. Alexis didn't shake him off that time and proceeded to walk away from the shack, the four students following quickly behind them. The walk back was longer than the run had been and they were all silent.


	7. Twenty Nine Days of the Month

**Author's Note:**

Yay I finally have this entire story planned out! I'm so happy. I'm aiming for maybe 25 chapters and am thinking about a sort of sequel or another story in the same ficverse. What do you think? Tell me in a review if you could, thank you.

Oh and just a reminder, I don't have the book Prisoner of Azkaban to help me as a referrence, so if I get anything wrong please tell me or correct me, thank you. ^_^

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 07 – Twenty Nine Days of the Month<strong>

On the morning right after the full moon, Remus like always would wake up in aching pain and possibly bleeding from his last transformation. That morning was a little bit better than the rest as he'd had access to wolfsbane potion and luckily didn't end up clawing or biting himself out of frustration. His limbs didn't ache as badly as before as he hadn't done any running like all the other moons. That last full moon was almost, bearable.

The early morning light scattered through the shredded curtains and boarded up windows of the Shrieking Shack. Remus awoke lying on the ground in a mess of two fluffy blankets, warming him up with the cold weather that was beginning outside. Being under the wolfsbane potion, Remus' memories of last night were clear and uncut. He remembered Tonks' presence. After the full moon, his wolfish traits have been heightened, along with his eye sight, hearing, and sense of smell. He could still smell her scent in the room, a lavender scent mixed with new parchment and fresh ink from her work. Remus looked around and wondered where she was. She must have left immediately when the sun rose. He didn't blame her.

As Remus got dressed and was buttoning up his shabby jumper, he suddenly heard noise, footsteps. Someone was coming into the shack. He was sure no one else besides a certain pink haired auror would dare come into the shack, and said auror had already left. He quickly finished the last buttons and grabbed his wand. Before he could do anything, the pink haired girl suddenly tripped over a nail or something on the ground and fell flat on her face into the room.

"Bloody hell," Tonks groaned while pushing herself up, her morph had slipped already.

"Tonks, are you alright?" Remus spoke, lowering his wand and walking over to help her up. His aching limbs gave out at various times, but he still managed to be of some help to her.

"This happens all the time," Tonks sighed and smiled, patting the dust off her jeans.

"Why did you come back? I thought you'd returned to Hogwarts already."

"I wasn't going to just leave you here," she laughed as if he was the odd one. "As an auror, I remembered that werewolves are really tired and weak after a transformation. Obviously you're going to need some help getting back to Hogwarts. And besides, I bought breakfast!"

Remus took the bag from her as he followed Tonks out of the shack. She allowed him to use her for support and was helping him walk with his one arm over her shoulder. Being so close to her, Remus couldn't help but notice how well his body fitted with hers. He shook his head once and tried to turn his thoughts away from that topic. Tonks was so much younger than him, by thirteen years. And besides, he was lucky enough to have her as a friend.

"You don't mind me being a werewolf? You don't have to be so nice. I understand…"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "I have to admit when I first saw you it was a bit surprising, especially having to see you transform and all, but after a while, it's not such a big deal anymore," she replied, shrugging it off as if it was nothing at all. "So what if you're a wolf?" she spoke conversationally. "My cousin is a bumbling jester, my other cousin is an animagus and Azkaban escapee, most of my family is psychotic, and I'm a metamorphmagus auror having to pose as a third year student to catch my own cousin. It's not so bad anymore with a life like this."

Remus nodded as he walked beside her. She was right, her life was rather hectic. "Thank you though," he spoke. Never before had he seen such kindness from anyone after finding out about his lycanthropy. He'd received shrieks, slap in the face and even hexes. He'd never received folded clothes, an uncaring grin, warm blankets, and breakfast.

They walked for a while in companionable silence. "So this is a monthly thing huh?"

He nodded. "Ever since I was five."

Tonks connected the dot to what he'd told her before. He'd told her of an accident he had when he was five and she was curious to know what exactly happened, but she didn't want to tread on thin ice with him so soon after a transformation. Tonks continued questioning him casually, seeing that he wasn't as tense anymore when they spoke about werewolves.

"How do you endure the pain month after month?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't really know how I manage to keep living," he confided in her. "On the other twenty-nine days of the month, I'm still trapped in the shadow of lycanthropy. That's why I've had so many jobs," he spoke softly. "I'm still a monster."

Tonks felt like she was beginning to have a faint glimpse of what it was like being Remus. She patted the hand of his that she had over her shoulder. "On the other twenty-nine days of the month you are cool, kind, and gentle Professor Remus Lupin, not a monster. During the full moon, you are a tamed and harmless werewolf, still not a monster," she reassured him.

Remus was quiet for a moment but Tonks could see the ghost of a smile he had on his face. As they approached the castle's entrance, Remus finally showed her a fleeting but genuine smile. "Thank you Nymphadora. You're a really great friend."

"Don't call me Nymphadora Remus and we'll continue being really good friends."

He smiled as he continued to walk with the support of a pink haired young auror who was now his very good friend. He tried not to put too much of his weight on her. Often Remus would glance at her profile view and notice that her adult face was soothing and made him feel relaxed. The carefree smile she had on her face made him feel less like an outcast. She made him feel like in their world, there was a place for him after all, a place that would accept him.

"Hmm, I should probably morph," Tonks commented as they got inside the school halls.

"Here, I can stand by myself," Remus spoke as he was about to slowly pull back.

She held his hand tighter. "No it's fine. I'm afraid you might fall over and hurt yourself."

He smiled. "Thank you but this isn't as bad as all the other moons I've had."

"I'm still not taking any chances," Tonks spoke and made Remus laugh when she began to imitate Moody's gruff voice. "_Constant vigilance_, never do anything halfway!" she teased.

Remus watched in amazement as Tonks suddenly began morphing, shortening in height just a little as her body changed in that similar of maybe a third or fourth year student. Her face remained thoroughly the same except without the small scar she had along her jaw line. Tonks' eyes turned from a dark green to a soft hazel brown and her pink hair got significantly brighter.

"Is dark green your natural eye color?" Remus asked, unsure why he did so.

She nodded. "Dead boring I know, but having pink or purple eyes isn't exactly discreet," she smiled. "At least it's not as boring as my natural hair, mousy brown," she mock gagged.

"I think you'd look fine with mousy brown hair," he smiled. In Remus' eyes, somehow he no longer saw Tonks as a student like her morph had made her out to be. She still seemed like an adult in his eyes, sure a very young adult but she was still a grown up. He saw her as his adult friend that he could begin to trust more, not just a student or a reckless auror. Her colorful nature would always make her seem young to him, but he was comfortable around her.

"Oh there you are Remus," Poppy Pomfrey suddenly rushed up to them. "I've been looking for you all morning. I even visited the Shrieking Shack to make sure you're alright," she spoke non-stop. Her eyes fell on Tonks who was supporting Remus. She recognized Tonks not only from being informed about aurors but also from when Tonks went to Hogwarts and her many accidents. "Oh Miss Tonks," she smiled. "I didn't expect to see you helping Remus."

"It was a little unexpected for me too," Tonks smiled warmly.

Poppy Pomfrey shifted to support Remus while Tonks freed herself of his hold. "Well thank you. I think you best get to breakfast then, the walk back must have been long. You didn't trip and hurt yourself or did anything I should have a look at, did you?"

Tonks shook her head and grinned, a little embarrassed as Remus smiled. "Nothing to worry." She waved to them and trotted gracelessly down the hall, nearly tripping when she turned a corner and got her foot caught on the corner itself. Remus watched as his pink haired friend vanished from the corridor, feeling a newfound level of understanding between the two. Yes Tonks was young and reckless, but she had a mature side that knew when to surface as well.

* * *

><p>As she walked into the Great Hall, she was suddenly met by a flying paper bird that flew right into her face, causing Tonks to stumble a bit and fall backwards, stirring a few stifles and laughs. She easily smiled as she picked up the damaged paper bird, a bird she recognized to be a swallow and immediately knew who the creator was.<p>

"Good morning to you too Lexi," Tonks smiled and took her seat beside her cousin. She noticed that Lexi's dark brown eyes lit up significantly once she saw that Tonks was alright. She looked at her cousin for a moment, both wearing similar grins with a silent understanding.

"How did you know that paper bird was Lexi's?" Ginny questioned.

"She's the only one who would choose a swallow. Swallows are her favorite."

"Why a swallow Lexi?" George asked as he and Lexi began talking.

"What happened last night Tonks?" Hermione asked, smiling softly. "At the shack?"

"You guys went to the Shrieking Shack?" Harry asked, interested.

Ron laughed. "Tonks here went _in_ it for a whole night. You have my full respect Tonks."

She smiled and proceeded to come up with a believable story for the kids. She knew that Lexi was discreetly listening and wouldn't believe her story as she'd clearly seen the house being warded off after she went in and it had to be the work of another witch or wizard. Tonks knew that Remus no doubt wouldn't want his identity as a werewolf to be known amongst the students and chose to keep his secret. If he wanted to tell the students, he'd do it himself. After a while, she managed to come up with a believable story about a ghost in the shack that is mental and loves to scare people. It went well with the previous rumors of the haunted shack.

"You didn't meet a ghost," Alexis whispered to Tonks. "You met a werewolf."

Tonks' eyes widened slightly. "I knew you wouldn't believe me but how did you know?"

"It was a full moon and that howl couldn't have come from a simple ghost. That was a werewolf's howl. Even as an Unspeakable, I could tell. What exactly happened last night?"

"It's…complicated," Tonks whispered back. "Just know that he's perfectly harmless and it's a secret so I really don't think he's comfortable with people knowing. I just incidentally found out," she replied, giving Alexis a look that her cousin understood not to probe.

"Just know if you're in danger or need help, you got me," she replied softly.

Tonks smiled and grabbed a piece of bacon while scooping scrambled eggs onto her plate. She knew she could always rely on her cousin. They have been close since they were five after Sirius had brought Alexis over to Andromeda's house and the girl ended up staying there all the way up until adulthood. Tonks was glad to have a cousin like Alexis Black. To her, the word cousin felt closer than the word brother or sister ever could.

* * *

><p>It was early October. Remus had finished grading all of his papers and even revised the lesson plans for his classes. After finishing all his work and realizing that he'd read all the books he had with him in his room, Remus decided to pay the Hogwarts library a visit. The library was vast and endless, and surely there has to be a book in there he hadn't read before. Remus browsed through the shelves from one row to another, looking for a book that caught his interest. He had encountered many of his students and greeted them smiling. When he reached a section labeled <em>muggle fiction<em>, Remus looked through the shelves and found many classics, most of which either were uninteresting or he had read before.

While he was browsing, his attention was suddenly caught by a thud followed by a series of noises that sounded like books falling. Then he heard the familiar voice of Nymphadora Tonks, cursing, "bloody hell these blasted books are bloody dangerous."

He didn't even realize that a lopsided grin had played across his face as he made his way over to the other side of the shelf where some tables were set out. Tonks was lying on her backside, books scattered all around her while the table beside her was scattered with papers.

"Nymphadora are you ok?" Remus asked, walking over and helping her up.

"Don't call me Nymphadora, _Professor Lupin_," she mock sneered at his name and got back up on her feet with his help. "Thanks. This happens all the time I'm used to it."

"How did you fall?" he asked curiously, bending down with her and picking books up.

Tonks pointed to a large, odd looking book, _The Monster Book of Monster_. "That bloody thing," she huffed. "Hagrid's gone mad expecting me to be able to learn from that thing."

Remus laughed with a lopsided, wolfish grin as he helped her put the books back on the shelves. "And Tonks, how did all these books get on the floor?"

"I was climbing up the bookshelf when that thing tried to attack me," Tonks smiled, embarrassed. "While I was up here I got my wand out and got the belt back around it. Then I slipped and fell off and here I am with all these books."

His laughter turned to a kind chuckle as he shook his head at her. "You're a special one."

"Trust me, I know that already. So what brings you here oh great professor?" she teased.

"Believe it or not, I ran out of books to read so I wandered over to here."

Tonks took a seat at her table covered with papers. "Read this one then, it's quite good."

Remus sat down beside her and took the book. "_Gone too Far_," he read the title.

"I just finished it. The style's a little flowery but the plotline is great."

"It's about werewolves," Remus pointed out as he skimmed through the book, interested.

"Yeah," Tonks smiled nervously. "Sorry, I just wanted to know more about…you know, and reference books just bore me so Madam Pince recommended that one to me, saying it depicts werewolves and the hardships rather accurately."

"It's looks good," Remus smiled, finding the book interesting. "Can I read this?"

She nodded. "Of course, I bought it a few days ago at Hogsmeade. Oh I have a bad habit of making comments in my books when I read them so ignore that," she smiled.

He nodded and thanked her, placing the book down carefully. Tonks noticed the gentle way he took care of his books and wondered if he was that gentle with books, how gentle would he be with people he cared about. "So what are you doing this late in the library?" he asked.

"Work," Tonks sighed. "Not only do I have this case here at Hogwarts, I still have loads of reports to do from the auror department. I came here so I could loosen my morph and so people won't bother me because no one ever goes to the _muggle fiction_ section."

He smiled and nodded. "I uh…I noticed that none of the students have heard any rumors about a werewolf professor," he began. "Thank you for keeping that a secret."

"Did you honestly think I would blab?" she asked, she wasn't offended however. "I wouldn't do that. If you had wanted other people to know you would've told them yourself. It was just my dumb luck that I got locked in the shack with you that night."

"That was dumb luck, but I'm glad it's you instead of someone else. You…you didn't run away from me or scream, or slap me, or hex me," he smiled softly.

"Are those the usual responses you get?" she asked, a bit saddened and Remus nodded, his eyes softer and saddened as well. "Well just forget about them then. If they ran away from you then they're just shallow, foolish gits."

"Thank you but it's understandable they'd run from me. You caught me in a very bad state too. Most of the time I'd just have to tell them I'm a werewolf…you…Tonks you actually saw me transform into one and yet you were unfazed."

"Well I was terrified for a moment there but you were harmless, so I wasn't scared."

"Harmless?" Remus laughed bitterly, his smile humorless and sad. "Nymphadora I am dangerous. I'm a werewolf, a beast. I could've badly wounded you. Worse, I could have bitten you. It was just sheer dumb luck that…"

"Remus Lupin, nip it," she ordered him in a suddenly stern voice. The playful and carefree Nymphadora Tonks has suddenly allowed her more mature and understanding side to surface as she placed a hand over his. "Stop saying all these terrible things about yourself. You may be a werewolf but for twenty-nine days of the month you're a kind and gentle professor. And for that one day during the full moon, you were a completely tamed and harmless werewolf. You are not a beast. You are not dangerous. Mad-Eye Moody is more dangerous than you. My bumbling cousin Lexi is more dangerous than you. Blimey, _I'm_ more dangerous than you."

"Tonks you don't understand. You caught me while I was on wolfsbane. Without it, I am a monster. If I've done this to myself, just think about what worse things could have happened to you if I wasn't on wolfsbane," Remus spoke, trying to explain to her how she should be wary of him. It surprised him how uncaring she was. How she completely didn't mind that he was a werewolf and still talked to him as if nothing had happened. It made him happy and glad to have known her, but he still wanted her to be wary in case something did happen. Remus pulled up his sleeves and revealed to her the scars on his arms that he had inflicted upon himself when he was younger and not under the help of wolfsbane.

"I don't want to think about it. As long as you're on wolfsbane, you are not dangerous."

"But I can't brew wolfsbane and I won't have access to it forever," Remus replied.

"So?" she replied, not caring one bit about how dangerous he was. "I won't be near you on the night of the full moon then. But the other twenty-nine days of the month, you're still my friend Remus Lupin," she explained and squeezed his hand once, reassuring him.

Remus watched her, speechless. He'd never met anyone who simply didn't care about the dangers of his condition. She didn't look at him differently. And she didn't give him any sympathetic looks as well. It was as if he wasn't even a werewolf at all. Remus smiled a little, glad to have met someone like her. She was so young but yet so understanding. And she has her beliefs laid out, not easily swayed. She was quickly becoming a very close friend of his.

"Thank you," he smiled.

She patted his hand and then returned to her work. "Anytime. We're good friends and like any other good friend you sometimes need a little comfort and reassurance that's all."

"Tonks, thanks for being my friend," he smiled innocently. "My last friends, the Marauders, they all became animagi so they could help me with the full moon. Before wolfsbane, my werewolf self would hurt humans, but not animals, so they accompanied me during full moons in the Shrieking Shack. They made it bearable," he sighed wistfully.

"So that's why all the Marauders were animagi," Tonks smiled.

Remus nodded. "But that's the past. They're all gone now," he spoke, becoming sad.

"Hey, what did I say?" she spoke, pulling his attention. "We're friends now. You've got me," she smiled, her assuring but carefree grin making him want to trust her more and more.

"We're friends but I'm supposed to be your teacher as well," Remus began softly.

She looked up at him and rolled her eyes. "Right," she nodded with sarcasm. "Remus we're very good friends. You're not my teacher. The only man I ever call a proper teacher is Mad-Eye Moody. If you want to be my teacher, I'm afraid you'll have to lose an eye and replace it with a creepy magical one, lose a leg, oh and take out chunks of your nose as well," she teased.

That put a smile on Remus' face as he watched her tease her mentor. He laughed softly along with her, interested that she could get him laughing so easily. Tonks then set her quill down as she looked at him intently for a moment, causing Remus to blush. He didn't know why she was looking intently at him, but she looked cute doing it. Looking into her eyes, he noticed that they were dark green again, like two pools of soulful emerald. Remus was about to lose himself in her gaze when suddenly, Tonks scrunched up her face and looked like she was about to go cross-eyed, like she was making a funny face.

He pulled back, laughing as Tonks suddenly morphed her nose into that of a pig snout. She grinned at his laugh and continued to morph her lips and nose into a yellow bill, looking like a duck's bill. Remus continued laughing, trying hard to hold back his laughter but watching her morph into various animals was too humorous.

"See? Laughing solves everything," Tonks smiled. "Feel better?" she asked.

Remus nodded and continued to laugh. She did make him feel better. "Thank you."

"Professor Lupin, Auror Tonks, though it's late in the evening there still are students here studying. I'd appreciate it if you keep your volume down, thank you," Madam Pince called.

As the librarian walked away, Remus felt embarrassed for having been told by her even when he was a grown man and a professor at the school even, but he couldn't stop laughing because Tonks seemed unfazed and even morphed her face to look like that of Madam Pince's to imitate and mock her. He felt so immature but yet it was so funny. Remus had never laughed that hard since he was in school. A few minutes later, Tonks leaned back in her chair grinning as Remus hugged his stomach. He looked at her with a lopsided grin. Somehow, something about her always managed to cheer him up a little, get his mind away from wallowing in his depression. There was something about her that made his world suddenly brighten. Was it her reckless and carefree nature, or her colorful personality?

* * *

><p>Winter seemed to be coming early that year. Though the snow hadn't fallen yet, the weather had already dropped tremendously. The outside air was icy and dry, the winds were sharp and violent, and the temperature only continued to drop. Tonks was already wearing a winter cloak as she patrolled the grounds, despite Moody's insistence that it would slow her down even more. On a particularly chilly and quiet morning in mid October, Tonks was outside patrolling with Silvia. They hadn't got much news about Sirius lately and reports of his sightings have gone from somewhat accurate to completely unreasonable. As she walked Tonks was uncharacteristically quiet. She found herself distracted from her task of looking for Sirius and being wary of dementors as she thought about Remus and the fast approaching full moon. He always looked ill around the time of the moon and she wondered why he had to face something so cruel. It seemed so unfair. He didn't deserve the discriminations of lycanthropy.<p>

"You're awfully distracted today Tonks," Silvia noted as if it wasn't obvious enough.

She tried to break free of her thoughts and turned to her friend, faking a grin and sticking her tongue out. "What? Shocked that I'm actually quiet and stable today?" she smiled.

"Actually, yes," Silvia nodded and smiled. "Come on, I'm sure Professor Lupin's poor health isn't that big of a problem. Stop worrying," she continued.

"What? I'm not worried about Professor Lupin. How did you know?" Tonks replied. She knew Lexi wouldn't say anything, it wasn't in her nature, but the only other person who ever saw something between Tonks and Remus was probably the ever vigilant Mad-Eye Moody. Tonks was confused. There was nothing between her and Remus besides friendship. "Who told you? Not Lexi, probably no one else but Mad-Eye. But he doesn't gossip."

"Nope, not Lexi. Mad-Eye technically didn't, but you forget that he tends to grumble."

"That old codger's gonna have a piece of my mind when I'm done with my shift."

"You know you're the only one who has the nerve to threaten Mad-Eye Moody right back?" Silvia laughed. "He was just grumbling about how you spend a lot of time with Remus lately. If you put two and two together, seeing how distracted you are and Remus' poor health lately, it all makes sense," Silvia smiled.

"Great, now you sound like my analytical cousin Lexi," Tonks grumbled.

"It's kind of obvious," she continued to laugh. "Don't worry. Though the age difference is a little wide, age is still just a number. And Remus is a fine bloke, he fits you."

"You make it sound like there's something romantic going on between Remus and I," Tonks replied. "We're just friends, besides Remus doesn't like me that way."

"Ah but you didn't deny that you like him that way."

"Oh stop it, you know what I mean. There's nothing romantic going on."

"Nothing at the moment," Silvia smirked. "Remus Lupin is a fine bloke. In school he was popular amongst the girls but too quiet. You two are opposites but I think he fits you."

"You were in school the same time he and his friends were?"

"Merlin Tonks how old did you think Remus was or how old did you think I was?" She laughed. "I'm only thirty-one you know, and Remus and his friends are two years older than me.

Tonks had overlooked that factor. Silvia was in her early thirties and Remus was in his early thirties as well. Of course they went to school together. They must have at least heard of each other and Silvia must have at least heard of the Marauders. If she knew the Marauders, she'd know Sirius Black. Tonks wanted to see what Silvia's opinions of Sirius was because she couldn't remember the last time she heard Silvia speaking ill of her cousin. She remained neutral towards him, and it made Tonks wonder.

"That means you knew Sirius Black as well. If you knew Remus, you'd know Sirius."

Silvia suddenly sighed and slumped a little. "I was afraid you'd go there. Yes I knew Sirius Black, we were…well acquaintances I'd say. I once dated the man too for a few months." Silvia continued speaking much to Tonks' delight. One fact about Silvia White Tonks had forgotten was the fact that Silvia was too honest and detailed for her own good.

"You dated him? What do you think of Sirius? You never seem to speak bad about him like the other aurors do, I remember." Tonks wanted to know more. She knew Silvia had more experience than her and wanted to know if there was a strong, logical possibility that Sirius was innocent and she knew Silvia could give her an answer, if not something close.

"In school I remembered he's a fine bloke. Sure he's a total troublemaker, slacks off in class and really loves to bully Severus Snape and a few others, but once you're his friend he's completely loyal to you, kind of like his friends who called themselves the Marauders I think. He seems like a good friend. I would've never thought he'd betray his own friend like that twelve years ago. But I find it unfair as well because when the locked him up in Azkaban, he was never given a fair trial. The Ministry was wrong there and only went on the assumption that Black had blasted all witnesses to pieces, leaving only a finger of Peter Pettigrew left."

"Doesn't it make you wonder how supposedly the rest of Pettigrew were blasted, but his finger survived?" Tonks asked as her expression turned contemplative.

"Like I said, the Ministry did wrong in not giving Black a proper trial."

"How come you never voice this whenever we were discussing Sirius Black?"

"It's not like I could Tonks. You know the aurors at the Ministry, you can barely get by without skeptical glares and your relations with Sirius are tenuous. If someone was caught defending him, Fudge would no doubt have a word with them and who knows how that would turn out with Fudge's paranoia and terrible judgment. I also feel bad for Alexis sometimes, I hear she has meetings with Fudge often and they're not settled ones."

Tonks nodded. It was true, Lexi did have to meet with Fudge often and knowing Lexi's inner flame and refusal to kiss up to anyone, she and Fudge didn't get along too well. Tonks also noted that there might be others like Silvia who believed it was unfair for Sirius and that there was something wrong with the case, but were too afraid of the trouble to speak up. She'd also noted that Pettigrew's finger left behind was rather odd. Maybe there still was a chance that her dear old cousin Padfoot was innocent after all, a small chance, but a chance nonetheless.

* * *

><p>In the evening, most students were back in their common rooms by that time, but several still remained in the Great Hall, studying, or just chatting. Alexis was working on her many reports and assignments she still had to finish for her job as an Unspeakable. Marrick had agreed to patrol alone while she worked. After sitting there for a while, she noticed that the Weasley Twins were still there. Usually they were back up in their dorms by that time, planning some other master prank to pull on Filch or some unsuspecting victim. While Fred was running around talking to his many, <em>many<em> friends, George uncharacteristically stayed back and talked to Lexi.

"How do you know so many tricks?" George asked after Lexi had taught him how to get rid of a howler. He found it rather useful as he and his twin got howlers from their mother all the time. "Wicked, mum's gonna freak when I do this," he smirked.

She smirked, a smirk of mischief similar to his but still very different. "I'm a retired prankster. Trust me. I used to be so much worse than now. I'd say I've grown up," she laughed.

"That is so cool. Do you have any other tricks you can teach me?" George asked eagerly.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, setting her quill down and covering her papers.

"I want to learn how to read a person's mind," he declared.

She laughed a little, noticing that his smirk turned to a smile when she laughed. "Georgie, that's what Veritaserum is for. I'm sure you and Fred already knew about this."

"Yes but we can't brew Veritaserum," George sighed. "And you just called me Georgie."

"Sorry, did you not like that," she smiled a bit more reserved. "It slipped, sorry."

He shook his head and grinned. "No it's just that usually only Fred calls me that. You can call me Georgie too if you'd like, I don't mind. It sounds good actually, when you say it."

Lexi laughed and shook her head. "George Weasley you're one odd kid."

"I'm not a kid. I'm only a year younger than you. You're not that old," he grinned.

Alexis opened her mouth and was about to counter when Marrick and Hermione suddenly stormed in and sat down beside them. George and Lexi looked up, both raising their eyebrows as they wondered what had happened. Hermione looked upset, and Marrick looked annoyed. Lexi was also sure that Marrick was supposed to be patrolling the halls.

"What's wrong smarty-pants?" George asked casually to Hermione.

Hermione shook her head. She seemed really upset now. Alexis turned to Marrick.

"This kid named Draco Malfoy called her a…you know," Marrick replied.

"Malfoy's a git. Don't listen to him Hermione," George comforted her.

"He mentioned things about blood purity," Hermione spoke. "How people like me with not a single drop of magical blood in them aren't fit to learn magic," she said in a low voice.

Alexis suddenly turned and faced Hermione, placing her hands on Hermione's shoulder, unknowing that she was being watched by both Marrick and George. "Hermione, the blood in your body is nothing but a liquid necessary to live. It doesn't determine whether you're fit to learn magic or not," she spoke softly in an airy voice with a sisterly tone to her. "You're a brilliant witch and no one your age knows as much as you do. If Malfoy wants to judge who's unfit to learn magic, it's him. He talks about blood purity but he and his family brings shame to the other purebloods. And blood purity doesn't matter squat."

Hermione nodded. Though she was still quiet, she seemed less upset than before.

"Besides, the Malfoy family is a totally messed up family, just like the Black family," Alexis added. Marrick knew she was thinking about her relations to them, how technically, Draco Malfoy was her cousin as well but she never would admit to it.

"You know the Malfoy family?" Hermione asked as George leaned in to listen.

Alexis sighed and nodded her head side to side. "I've…talked to them yeah."

Hermione continued talking to Lexi as Marrick and George engaged in a conversation. The boys noticed that Alexis seemed like a big sister to Hermione at that moment, comforting her and reassuring her. Both women were highly intelligent and they seem to share a common ground with that intelligence, no matter how different their personality is.

* * *

><p>Throughout their stay at Hogwarts, Tonks just remembered that she'd never had the chance to patrol the grounds or school with her cousin. Now that they were patrolling together, Tonks realized why Mad-Eye Moody was so hesitant in pairing the two cousins together. Around each other, neither of them could work as Tonks' clumsiness visited her more often than usual and Lexi, as close as she was to Tonks, would just double over laughing every time she fell. They were supposed to be making sure the dementors don't get in the ground and looking for their cousin Sirius Black as well, but that task seemed impossible when they were together. Tonks grumbled as she pushed herself back up on her feet. Her bumbling cousin with raven black hair had just recovered from her laughter and was shaking her head at Tonks who had just tripped over a branch and fallen into a mud puddle.<p>

"_Tergeo_," Alexis managed to get the correct incantation through her laugh.

Tonks mock glared at her cousin after she was cleaned by the wandless spell. "Why do you always find it so amusing when I fall? You're my family you're supposed to help me up."

"And that's it," Alexis smirked. "I'm your family, if I don't laugh at you, who else would?" she grinned cheekily. "And besides, I'm sick and tired of acting mature. I haven't been able to let loose at all whenever I had to patrol with Marrick or Rookwood. And that one night with Bode was just outright creepy. He scares me more than Snape does."

"That reminds me, how are you and Marrick? You guys are _very_ friendly now."

Alexis playfully pushed her pink haired cousin. "He's alright. I can't really see myself with him though. He's not…hmm…playful enough, too serious for my liking."

"Isn't that just what you need, someone to stable you?" Tonks asked. "Think about it. All your last relationships, the blokes were too playful and how did that turn out? You played with all of them. Maybe Marrick is just what you need to get into a serious relationship."

"I guess," Alexis nodded. "He's been more open to fun and stuff I like."

"Come on, I want to see you in a long, happy relationship," Tonks smiled.

"I'll fall into one sooner or later," Alexis smiled. "Love comes when you least expect it, so I'm not on a lookout, and now enough about me, what about you? You and a certain bookworm professor by the name of Remus Lupin," she smirked.

"We're just really good friends and you know I always treat my friends really well."

"Yes but you treat Remus especially well. I'm your cousin, trust me, I know."

"Lexi there's nothing romantic going on between me and Remus. I just care about him as I would care for a friend. He's been through a lot, that's why it seems I care about him more."

Her cousin nodded, unbelieving. "Uh huh, you don't have any feelings for Remus Lupin at all, that's like me saying that I'm not a Black," she scoffed. "I'm you cousin, I know what's going through your mind right now. You think you're not good enough for him."

"You know me so well," Tonks groaned, unsure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Well stop thinking. Thinking is dangerous. Just follow your heart. At least in the end, you can't say you regret what you've done," Alexis spoke. She thought about her quote, wishing she could take her own advice. That was the weird thing she'd discovered about advices. Sentimental advices are easier said than done. They forever remain as words, and those who gave the advice are never able to follow their own advice. They were quite odd.

"What if your heart is being stupid?" Tonks asked, walking with a backward lean.

"Tonks I can tell you feel something for him, so why not just trust yourself and go for it. For all I know, you can give the shy professor a right good shag if you feel like it," she smirked.

Tonks' jaw dropped as she smacked her cousin's arm. "Alexis, Lydia, Black!"

"Did you have to use my middle name cousin? Nymphadora," she teased.

"You're asking for a hex!" Tonks announced as she took out her wand and teased Alexis with it. They suddenly stopped when Lexi's grin dropped and Tonks turned to see they were staring at a large black dog square in the eyes. The dog resembled the Grim and it looked wary of them, watchful, but not attacking. He had dark eyes, haunted hollow eyes, but there was truth in there as well, as if he had many things he wanted to say to them. Lexi was silent, unsure of what to do. Tonks couldn't stop herself when she breathed, "Sirius?"

Without another second between them, the dog suddenly turned sharply in the opposite direction and dashed away, crunching branches and dead leaves under his padded foot. Tonks and Alexis gave chase immediately. Tonks' clumsiness didn't affect her when necessary, luckily. Alexis was never an auror, but her energy allowed her to run as fast as Tonks. The two cousins ran side by side, chasing another cousin. All from the same family and they found it so ironic.

"You nut, he ran because he knew that you knew who he was," Alexis breathed.

"Well we have to stop him though, at least to talk to him," Tonks replied.

The chase continued as Alexis suddenly shot a trip jinx at the black dog. She missed as he had been running too fast as a moving target. Tonks then shot many trip jinxes at him as well, being careful to aim a little bit ahead of him, but Sirius was no fool. He ran in a zigzag as he tried to get away from them. Though he was running in a zigzag, he was still too fast for them to catch. They were nearing the gates of Hogwarts and Tonks could see the black cloaked dementors looming over top. She worried what Sirius would do but her eyes suddenly widened when he disappeared into a small hole on the ground, perhaps a passage way.

"_Engorgio_!" Tonks yelled as she flicked her wand at the spot Sirius disappeared into.

"Bloody hell!" Alexis cursed as both she and her pink haired cousin fell into the large hole. There seemed to be another stone landing under them as they suddenly landed on hard surface unexpectedly. Alexis landed on her back, her head crashing against the stone ground, causing black spots to appear in her vision.

Tonks fell face first but her auror training caused her to be able to grab the large black dog before he sprinted away from them again. She clung onto him and for a moment he'd tried to escape, but her grip was too strong. Tonks wrestled the black dog down physically, sighing in relief when Lexi finally got up and managed to place a body-bind spell on the large black dog that they both believed was their cousin.

"Tonks your bleeding," Alexis sighed, rubbing her forehead and temple.

She glanced down and noticed that while wrestling with the dog, she must have injured herself as there were bleeding claw marks on her left forearm. Tonks sighed and used a healing charm to prevent them from bleeding. The wounds didn't close completely but she looked up at the two looming cloaked figures over them and realized she had bigger trouble at the moment.

"_Expecto Patronum_," Tonks and Alexis spoke together, both was raising their wand.

From the tips of their wands, two ethereal trails of while light shielded them and the black dog from the two attacking dementors. The black cloaked figures glided down on them but were stopped by the white glow of their patronuses. Tonks' patronus shield quickly turned into the form of a jolly and energetic ferret, bouncing around with energy and protecting her. Alexis' patronus shield was a little bit slower than Tonks, probably because of her pounding headache, but it soon turned into the flying form of a beautiful swallow with a long, wispy tail. Their patronuses danced around the girls and the black dog together, driving away the two dementors with ease. After the looming dementors left, the feeling of coldness that they realized had surrounded the room vanished. Their ethereal animal figures faded away slowly while the hole that they had fallen through above them came to a close.

Tonks turned to face Alexis, breathing hard as she pushed herself up to her feet from the ground, helping her unstable cousin up as Alexis continued to rub the back of her head. They both looked around. It seemed as if they were standing in the middle of an underground tunnel, one similar to the muggle sewage system except luckily without all the waste and disgusting after products. Tonks recognized it to be similar to the one path Remus had shown her when she served detention with him and he took her through a secret passage to get out of Hogwarts and catch a grindylow. She remembered what he told her that day after a few moment of thought. Tonks wondered if this could be a part of the underground escape routes of Hogwarts.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" Alexis asked, looking around.

"This tunnel was similar to the one Remus took me in to get out of Hogwarts that one time," Tonks told her cousin. "The day my locator emitted blue waves of light."

Lexi nodded, remembering. "So this is some secret underground tunnel of Hogwarts?"

"Pretty much," Tonks sighed. She then turned back to the large black dog who laid bounded beside them, his eyes still active and dancing around rapidly, looking from one girl to another. "What do we do about him?" Tonks asked.

"He's Sirius alright," Alexis nodded and wiped the dirt off her face. "His eyes."

Tonks looked into the dog's eyes and nodded. She could never forget those eyes, no matter how dark or haunted they've become. She knew they were Sirius' eyes, she could feel it. He had dark eyes and if you looked closely you'd notice they were grey. His eyes had a commanding presence to them, a trait passed down through generations of the Black family tree. His eyes were similar to Alexis', and held something in there they couldn't quite explain.

"Wotcher Padfoot," Tonks nodded to the bounded dog. "What do we do now?"

"I'm not the auror here," Alexis sighed and bent down to pat the black dog, checking if they'd put any injuries on him. "Well we've got two options," she began. "One, and that is the right thing to do, we leave him bounded like this and take him back to Moody and the others. Wait for what they have to say and no doubt they'll deem him as insane and chuck him back into Azkaban. Then our mission here would be finished."

"What's the second one?" Tonks asked, bending down beside her two cousins.

"The second choice is the totally wrong thing to do and no doubt a reckless move. We force him to turn back to his human form and we have a nice chat with our good ol' cousin Padfoot," Alexis finished, looking up at Tonks.

It appears that Alexis had placed the final decision in Tonks. The pink haired auror turned from her one cousin to the other, wondering what she should do. She was an auror and the right thing to do was to bring him back immediately. But she couldn't forget the fact that Sirius Black had once been her favorite cousin Padfoot, and she and Lexi never quite believed that the man was an insane murderer. There were just too many questionable details in his case. It was her decision and she could go either way…

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><p>How was it? Please leave a review if you could they make me happy. And even though I don't respond to each one, I read every single one of them, so sorry and thank you so much. ^_^<p> 


	8. Where to Place Your Trust

**Author's Note:**

Being back at school reminded me why I hate school so much =_= Anyways, I'm trying to keep my updates not too long apart but that's failing miserably, I hope you don't mind though as you all would understand, school is crazy terrible. Thanks for bearing with me, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading and reviewing and do remember to leave a review if you can. Thank you so much!

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><p><strong>Chapter 08 – Where to Place Your Trust<strong>

In the middle of a large stone tunnel that resembled the muggle sewage system without all the waste and after products, Alexis and Tonks were bent down beside a large black dog, motionless, bounded by a full body bind spell. Tonks turned from her raven haired cousin to the black dog, memories of her childhood returning to her. She remembered spending time with both Alexis and Sirius, the dog, and the emotional side of her seemed to be over-ruling the auror side of hers. But Mad-Eye Moody had told them not to let any emotions get in the way of their work. She turned back to the large black dog, wondering what to do.

After what felt like too long of a silence, Tonks sighed and much like Alexis rubbed her forehead as she used a non-verbal spell on the black dog with a quick flick of her wand. "Mad-Eye's so going to have my head for this," Tonks grumbled.

The large black dog suddenly moved again, stirred under Alexis' palm, and soon he transformed from his animagus form back into that of a human. A boney, lanky, man with long and unkempt raven black hair and beard stood up looking at them. Alexis was on her feet beside Tonks, their wands pointed at him. He had grey hollow eyes, haunted and dark. His face was marred with dirt and his body was covered in various tattoos. He breathed heavily, his beady eyes turning from the pink haired girl to the one with black hair close to his.

He suddenly laughed, a low, mad chuckle as his shallow eyes turned from one girl to the other. "Are you going to kill me now? Free me first, get my hopes up, and then kill me?" He asked them, his haunted eyes looking at their wand tips pointing threateningly at him.

For a short moment Tonks had bemusement in her eyes, but soon she turned towards Alexis who had a small smirk on her face, about to break into a full grin. "Well I suppose we could just kill him and not go through the trouble of hearing him boast about how cool and awesome he is," Tonks spoke conversationally, smiling a bit.

"Yes, but killing him would be too much effort," Alexis joked, her voice even and calm.

Sirius Black, the escaped prisoner and currently most wanted man in the Wizarding world suddenly allowed a grin to appear on his face. He allowed himself to laugh, a hearty laugh he hadn't experienced in such a long time. Suddenly, without warning he wrapped his boney arms around both girls' thin frames, hugging them tightly, longingly. The last time he'd seen them they were mere kids, asking when they could go to Hogwarts. Now, they were grown women, long past the childish days of Hogwarts.

"Lexi, Tonks," Sirius breathed, patting their backs, grinning, laughing. "You girls are too foolish, too trusting," he proceeded to nag them. They were the only people he'd ever meet who would stand in front of an Azkaban escapee and smirk like that.

"Maybe," Alexis shrugged. "Or we're just really confident in our ability to hold you down if it's necessary. Tonks is an auror now."

"What are you then Lexi? You can't be an auror, you always hated physical activities."

"Alexis Black, bumbling cousin, rule-bending Unspeakable," Tonks smiled as she helped stable Sirius' stance, his hand gripping hers and trembling slightly.

"Are you mad? You trust me enough to put your wands away?" Sirius asked, breathing heavily as he smiled at the two girls who were tucking their wands away. "What if I _am_ the insane murderer they all said I was?" he asked.

"If you're mad you wouldn't have hugged us," Tonks pointed out. "And if you wanted to kill us, you would have already taken one of our wands and tried to kill us already."

"Now sit down Padfoot, we need the story. How did you escape Azkaban? And if you've escaped, why didn't you just run as far as you can? Why did you come here to Hogwarts?"

Sirius chuckled as he dropped down to the stone ground. Tonks came down slowly beside him as she gripped Lexi's arm, helping her down slowly. Alexis still saw black dots in her vision, her head throbbing as she sat down, but the pain could be ignored for the moment.

"One question at a time Lexi," Sirius smiled. His grin was familiar on his once darkly handsome face. "And Tonks, sorry about your arm," he spoke, gesturing to her new red scars.

"It's fine, I've had worse than this in auror training from Mad-Eye," she smiled. "Now really, we need you to tell us everything that's happened."

"Aren't you afraid that I'm lying? After all, I've been in Azkaban for twelve years."

Tonks suddenly turned to Alexis, her eyebrow raised expectantly at her cousin.

"It just so happens that I have some Veritaserum on me," Alexis sighed as she took off her jacket slowly and searched her pockets for the small, clear, crystal vial of the truth telling serum. After a moment of searching, she found the small vial with a few drops of liquid that looked no different from water. She handed it to Sirius and he was careful not to use all of her small portion, dripping one drop onto his tongue.

"What's your full name?" Tonks asked him, trying to think of a good security question.

"Sirius Orion Black the third," Sirius replied easily.

Alexis rolled her eyes. Yes her cousin was brilliant, but within that brilliance there were moments of idiocy as well. "Blimey Tonks, even _I_ could've answered that. Alright Sirius Orion Black, what's your worst memory when you were back at Hogwarts?" Alexis asked.

Sirius' eyes widened as he tried to hold back his answer but the effects of the Veritaserum were too strong for him to resist. "When I was dating this girl named Melody Heinz, we were just about ready to shag and right in the middle of it she chickened out and the entire night was so awkward and terrible," Sirius breathed.

Alexis grinned when she saw the sign of resistance but the truth still spilled anyways.

"Sounds just like Sirius," Tonks smiled. "Now tell us everything from the beginning."

"I don't remember what the date was exactly, but it was one of those routine checkup days where Fudge would come in and do a round check on all the prisoners. He went into my cell with the _Daily Prophet_ and said some stuff. Sorry I really don't listen anymore after being there for so long. All I know was that he was taunting me with the _Prophet_, saying how I wouldn't know what was going on in the world because I was locked up for life. Then he left the papers in there for me after I mocked him and said I bet I was better at the crosswords than he was. I looked around the papers and found this," Sirius spoke, pulling out a crumpled piece of the magical newspaper from his tattered prison robes and handed it to them.

Tonks took the wad of paper and straightened it, looking at the picture of the Weasley family who had won a trip to Egypt which they had used to visit their eldest son Bill Weasley. "This is just a picture of the Weasley family," Tonks spoke, showing Lexi the paper.

"Yes, but look at the rat in there," Sirius spoke, pointing to the animal on Ron's shoulder.

"That's Ron's pet rat Scabbers," Lexi spoke, looking closer at the small animal.

"Scabbers?" Sirius scoffed. "That's Peter."

"Peter Pettigrew?" Tonks questioned. "But he's dead! All they found of him was…"

"A finger," Sirius nodded. "But I'd know his animagus form even if he turned to ashes," the man scoffed. "If you go check on that rat, _Scabbers_, you'd find that he's missing a finger, just like Peter. Show this to my old friend Moony and he'll recognize the little guy as well."

"So you escaped, because you thought you saw your old friend?" Tonks asked.

"There's more to the story behind the Potter's secret keeper isn't there?" Alexis smirked.

Sirius snapped his fingers and grinned at his cousin. "Ah Lexi, always the wit of the band," he smiled. "I wasn't the Potter's secret keeper. Peter was."

"How?" Tonks questioned. "Sirius we need you to tell us everything."

"It was dark times Nymphie, dark times," Sirius began in a low voice. There was a sad look in his eyes as he began reminiscing the last memories he had of his old friends. "It was the first war. We joined the Order of the Phoenix a resistance group against Voldemort ran by Albus Dumbledore himself. We had no idea what we were doing. When the disappearances began, we were doubting each other. After a prophecy was made about Voldemort's target being revealed as the Potters and the Longbottoms, each family had to go into hiding. Unfortunately, Frank and Alice Longbottom were caught before they could hide and tortured into insanity. James and Lily were scared, worrying for their son Harry. They hid as quickly as possible and as you know, they had to find a secret keeper. At that time, we didn't trust Remus, not when he keeps disappearing for reasons he couldn't tell us and Peter kept mentioning that Remus was a werewolf and the werewolves supported Voldemort." Sirius suddenly paused and chuckled bitterly. "Not trusting Remus Lupin was probably the biggest mistake I've ever made in my entire life. James trusted me and made me Harry's godfather. It was told that I was their secret keeper. But it was too obvious, don't you think? If Voldemort wanted to know who their secret keeper is, the first person would be me, James Potter's best friend and Harry Potter's godfather. So I told James that to make Peter their secret keeper. You would've never guess that they'd pick a spineless worm like Peter Pettigrew to hold that big of a job," Sirius scoffed. "But Voldemort got to him, told him he'd be allowed to live and given protection throughout the war if he told them the Potter's location. Then you knew what happened next. That damn spineless coward sold out his own friends!" Sirius yelled, slapping his hand hard on the stone ground.

"So Peter Pettigrew was the secret keeper? He sold the Potters out to…Voldemort?" Tonks questioned, hesitating for a moment when she spoke the dark lord's name. "Can you tell us exactly what happened the night you got caught?"

"I was just going there to check on them like usual. When I got there, James was dead. Lily was dead beside Harry's bed," Sirius began to choke on his words, the memory being too much for the broken man to handle. "I picked Harry up. The poor kid was crying his eyes out. I knew Peter was the secret keeper and only he could've revealed James' location to Voldemort. I brought Harry to Hagrid and sat with him for a bit. After a moment I ran and looked for Peter. You know where the location is, on a muggle street in London. I caught the little snitch, grabbed him by his collar and threatened to kill him for betraying our friends. He yelled out to all the muggles that were there that I had betrayed the Potters. That caught me by surprise. I wondered how the rat got so cunning. He pushed me back, killed the twelve muggles around us with an explosion spell, then cut off his own damn finger and tossed it in the explosion. By the time I got back up, he'd already transformed into his animagus form and slipped away because he was so small. When I was about to run after him, the aurors had already came. Mad-Eye Moody caught me, and as you both would know, once the old codger's got you, there's no escaping him."

"And finding you at the scene of the crime with your wand active and you being the last to see the Potters with everyone else thinking that _you_ were their secret keeper, they immediately thought that you were the murderer as well and jailed you," Alexis spoke.

"Basic auror protocol," Tonks nodded solemnly. "But when they caught you, you were laughing," she added, looking up at her cousin who wore a bitter smile on his hollow face.

"Black's don't cry," Alexis spoke in a low voice as she turned to Sirius.

"James and Lily's death sort of unhinged me. After Peter escaped, I didn't know what else to do. So I laughed. Laughed like a psychotic maniac I'm guessing," he smirked.

"And now that you saw Pettigrew's animagus form being Ron's pet rat Scabbers, you knew that he'd be at Hogwarts, so you came here. You came here not to kill Harry Potter, but to kill Peter Pettigrew," Tonks spoke, making sense of the rest of the story.

Sirius nodded. "That little snitch," he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Sirius you're innocent this whole time," Tonks breathed. "We have to help you."

"Well I've already gotten help from a large orange cat that looks a lot like a small tiger," Sirius smiled. "He's been helping me look for the rat inside Hogwarts."

"Crookshanks," Lexi spoke. "Hermione's tiger of a cat, that's why he hates Scabbers."

Sirius laughed and nodded. "Yes, Crookshanks, his help is greatly appreciated. But it would be better if you two could help me. Once you find him, just use the same spell you used on me to force him to transform back into his human form."

Tonks crossed her legs and turned to look at Alexis. "What do you think?"

"Well he could be lying," Alexis shrugged conversationally. "The Veritaserum wore off a while ago. But his story does make sense, and Ron's pet rat had always bothered me."

"But you trust him," Tonks spoke, knowing the trusting look in Lexi's eyes.

"And _you_ trust him," Alexis smirked as she glanced from Tonks to Sirius.

"We should tell Remus this," Tonks sighed. "He'll be happy to know the truth. He can help us too. He's a professor and is brilliant, he'll be able to help us," Tonks added.

Sirius smirked. "So you girls know Moony. And I see Tonks has taken a liking to him."

Alexis scoffed and leaned back on her elbows. "She's taken more than a liking to him."

"Ah," Sirius smirked. "Little Nymphie has a crush on my ol' pal Moony," he teased.

"Do not!" Tonks protested too quickly, beginning to blush. "But we still should tell him."

"It can wait until after the moon," Sirius interrupted in a low, serious voice. "I've been paying attention to the cycle and the October full moon is nearing. Let's not stress my friend out more than necessary. Especially this month's moon, it will be harsh on him.

Alexis seemed to understand Sirius' reasoning about the moon. Tonks personally didn't know, but she figured that telling Remus now would only give him one more thought to worry about during his transformation and would do him no good. She decided to follow them and nodded as she sat back. Tonks sighed and looked at her lanky raven haired cousin she hadn't seen for twelve years, ever since she was a child.

"So, how's Azkaban treating ya?"

"Pretty well actually, considering that I'm still sane enough to recognize my family."

Alexis scoffed and shook her head. Of course only Nymphadora Tonks would ask an escaped prisoner such a question, and only Sirius Orion Black would answer so casually. "You two are so much alike it's scary," she smiled, still shaking her head.

"And you're one to talk," Sirius smiled, more at ease now with his two cousins. He had expected to see two little girls still pestering Andromeda about when they could go to Hogwarts. Instead he met two wonderful women who not only still fully trusted him but were both extraordinary in their own ways. "Alexis Black, you bear more of the patrician beauty present in the Black family than I ever expected," he teased her, knowing the girl always hated it when he said she resembled the insane family of theirs. "And Nymphadora Tonks, you look a lot like your wobbly dear aunt Bellatrix," he continued, teasing her as well.

"We're not going to kill you but it doesn't mean we won't hex you," Tonks warned.

Alexis cleared her throat subtly. "Actually, I never said I wasn't going to kill him," she spoke _as-a-matter-of-factly_ but her small smirk and teasing tone gave away her seriousness.

Sirius smirked and leaned back, looking at his cousins, his family. "So tell me, how's life?" he asked casually. The three soon got pass the awkwardness and engaged in an animated conversation, catching up with Sirius on everything that had been happening ever since the day he unexpectedly left his old life behind. They trusted him enough to sit and talk with him. But what made them comfortable with each other wasn't the trust. It was the underlying fact that they still saw him as family, and he never proved them wrong. It was the feeling that they were all family, a different kind of family, but still family nonetheless. After a while, Alexis and Tonks saw that the lanky, haunted man from Azkaban still had traces of the same old cousin Padfoot they both remembered. They could trust him, and they could smile with him just like before.

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><p>The sun was already setting fast on the horizon. Mad-Eye's electric blue mechanical eye was whirling around like mad, an uneasy feeling crossing his senses. He clonked out of the castle beside Silvia, both deciding that since no students would be outside at that hour, they wouldn't have to use the Ghost Necklace just yet. He grunted and grumbled to himself as they walked. Often Silvia would glance at him, her eyebrow raised as she wondered what had him on edge. The Hogsmeade trips were no longer a problem, and yet the paranoid old auror was never at rest.<p>

"Where are they?" Moody grunted as he looked around for Tonks and Alexis at the point they were to meet for shift change. "They were supposed to be here already," he grumbled.

"Maybe they're late," Silvia shrugged, looking around as well.

"It's not like neither of them to be late," he grumbled in a hoarse voice.

"Then maybe they ran into something," Silvia mused, still looking for the two girls.

Moody emitted a sound from the back of his throat seeming like a low growl. "They're not anywhere on the grounds," he grumbled.

"How do you know?"

"My mechanical eye can see through the trees up to thirty miles. They're not here."

"Well they couldn't have just disappeared. Are you sure you're not just missing them and over-reacting?" Silvia questioned, flipping open her locator and setting it to Lexi's name.

Moody shook his head and emitted another low growl as Silvia raised her eyebrow when the locator seemed lost as well. "Can it find them?"

"No, it's like they just disappeared," she replied, looking at the small Unspeakable instrument and wondering if it was broken. "The locator's not picking up Alexis or Tonks."

"Could it be that they've abandoned their post and gone to Hogsmeade?" Moody growled. "This is why I was so hesitant to put Alexis and Nymphadora together. Their track record from Hogwarts is more than enough to prove that putting them together was a bad idea."

"Now wait a minute, you're just freaking out here Alastor. The locator Rookwood gave me isn't picking up anything. If they're at Hogsmeade, their location still would have appeared."

"Contact Kingsley and tell him to check with Bode on his locator and have him and Dawlish check Hogsmeade to see if they're there. If I know Alexis Black right, she'd know a way to elude the locators. And Nymphadora Tonks would just about do anything if she wanted to. We'll go back to the castle and get some more people to help look for them in the grounds. If the locators don't work we'll have to search by foot and Hogwarts is too big for the two of us."

"Alright, I'll contact Kingsley. But you shouldn't be too judgmental of the girls you know. Sure Alexis likes to tinker but she wouldn't dare to mess with anything from the Department of Mysteries. And Tonks may seem reckless but she's actually very responsible."

"I'm not judging them," Moody replied as they turned on their heels and headed back to the castle. "I'm predicting their actions based on what I've learned about them. Nymphadora is responsible but she can be stubborn and reckless as well. In the past she'd gotten away with many things and it would lead her to believe she still could in the future. And Alexis Black is rebellious and she would push the line with what she is allowed to do as an Unspeakable."

Silvia rolled her eyes. "Ugh, whatever you say. You seem like you know them so well," she sighed. "Should we get some of the teachers to help too? It's after their classes and they would know the grounds and castle a lot better than we would."

"Whoever's free," Moody replied. "Now hurry up," he grunted at Silvia while taking longer, faster strides, making her work harder to keep up with him. "We've got a reckless auror and Unspeakable missing. If they're in danger we have to find them fast. If they're abandoning their post we have to make sure they're not doing anything stupid," he continued as Silvia ran after him, continuing to roll her eyes much like Tonks would, but not going as far as calling him names and making a joke of everything he said like Tonks would.

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><p>The moon was already high in the dark night sky. Marrick Kingston with his dark brown hair disheveled was turning sharply from one direction to the next, his dusty green eyes on a lookout for two girls, one with raven black hair and another with bubblegum pink hair. He'd grown used to having to look for them from when they were in school together. But he never expected to have to look for them again when they were all grownups on an important mission. The tall young man huffed and ran a hand through his already messy hair as he turned again when he heard footsteps. He didn't see the girls. Instead he saw Professor Remus Lupin, walking slowly as he seemed to be ill. Remus came up to him with a small, wan smile on his face, silently asking if Marrick had seen any traces of the two girls.<p>

He shook his head to the ill-looking professor and huffed again. Remus Lupin, to him was too kind of a man. He was sick, barely able to walk, and was out with them looking for two infamous troublemakers. "I've already searched the area near the Quidditch pitch," he spoke.

"Do you think you could find them with one of those locator things Alexis used and Nymphadora had a spare of?" Remus asked as he stopped beside Marrick, his eyes wary.

Marrick shook his head as he looked around. They were just walking away from the Quidditch pitch, the tall wooden towers of house colors still visible through the trees. "Silvia already tried looking for them with her locator and found none. Besides, I don't have one tonight. Alexis took it with her when she went out to patrol with Tonks."

Remus shook his head and continued walking. Marrick deliberately slowed his pace down so the tired professor could keep up. "I just hope they haven't run into any trouble."

"Alexis and Tonks could handle themselves," Marrick sighed. "Though she's an Unspeakable, Alexis is rather skilled at dueling. And Tonks is trained by Alastor Moody. She'll be able to take care of herself," he reassured the man, knowing he cared especially for Tonks.

Remus nodded. "Yes, but I'm just worried. Nymphadora isn't irresponsible and wouldn't abandon her post like that so maybe something could have happened to them," the professor spoke gently, his calloused, scar crossed face illuminating under the faint moonlight. Marrick could see more clearly the claw like scars that crossed Remus' face and for the first time, he wondered what the gentle professor had done that gave him those scars.

"I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility that they've abandoned their post," Marrick spoke in a low voice. "I've known them since school Professor Lupin, and they were quite the determined rebels back then. When they're together, it's like to say there's nothing that they can't do. Knowing Alexis, she'd find a way to elude the locators."

As he walked, Remus paced his steps slowly and hoped that his body would be strong enough so he wouldn't fall down. He nodded to Marrick's words while still looking around, hoping to catch sight of Alexis or Tonks. It was dark and Alexis' dark hair would be hard to spot, so Remus hoped to see any traces of bright, bubblegum pink hair instead. Though they were in Hogwarts, he knew better than to think that the school grounds were completely safe, especially at night. There was also the possibility of them wandering into the Forbidden Forest. Whatever happened or wherever they were, Remus hoped they were alright. He had become too close to Tonks to simply turn a blind eye when something happened to her. And he'd grown rather impressed by Alexis as well when she figured out the Marauders' nicknames so easily.

They walked for a little bit more, both Remus and Marrick in a companionable silence as they continued looking for the girls. Suddenly, some sounds in the bushes caught their attention and when they came to check, instead of finding the two girls, they were met with two other troublemakers, younger, boys, with flaming red hair. The Weasley twins looked up at Remus with a guilty grin on their face and a raised eyebrow at Marrick.

"What are you two boys doing out here this late at night?" Remus asked, gathering as much tone as he could and trying hard not to seem too ill.

"Nothing at all," they replied together.

"Professor Lupin what are you doing out here?" Fred countered him.

"And Marrick, you're out here too," George added, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Why this late?" the twins asked again, together.

Remus turned to Marrick and heaved a sigh. He figured that since the twins were friends with Alexis and Tonks, they wouldn't mind keeping an eye out for the girls' location. Maybe they even knew where the two girls were. But Remus could only hope on a whim for that idea.

"Alexis and Tonks are missing," Marrick spoke after a glance at Remus.

"Us and a few other teachers have been looking for them all night," Remus sighed.

Both Marrick and Remus noted that George Weasley's grin suddenly dropped immediately, much faster than his brothers as he looked at them with a dead serious gaze they didn't even know the Weasley twin could pull off. Remus saw that George looked genuinely concerned as he badgered them with questions of where the girls were last seen and so on. Obviously the Weasley twins have no idea where Alexis and Tonks were.

"How about you two return to your common room and while there keep an eye out for Alexis and Tonks?" Remus told the twins. "We can't have you wandering around at night, it isn't safe. The two girls will be found and they will be alright," he reassured them and himself as well.

"Alright," George Weasley nodded. His expression still solemn.

"But Marrick you're telling us immediately when you find them," Fred added.

"Of course," Marrick nodded and watched to make sure the twins were heading back in the direction of the castle. He and Remus then returned to their search. As they turned back, Marrick noticed that Remus looked even worse than when they began the search and thought that maybe it would be better for his health if the professor returned to the castle and rest up rather than strain himself in search of two troublemakers that can remain hidden if they didn't want to be found. Marrick turned and suggested the idea to the professor and smiled lightly when Remus hesitantly agreed. Later he found Silvia and Moody and joined them in the search after Remus had returned to the castle, looking more ill and tired by the minute.

* * *

><p>Back at the castle, Remus stood staring hopelessly out his open window. He was partially watching the moon casting her silver glow, her curse upon him as his body grew weaker and more ill by the minute, bathing under the wan moonlight. Another part of him was staring blankly into the dark trees below, hoping to catch a glimpse of vivid pink hair or to see Nymphadora Tonks' face and be reassured that she was safe. He stood there by the window for what felt like a long time as the night grew longer.<p>

After a while, Remus finally pushed himself away from the window and turned to his shelf beside his desk where a black cauldron of wolfsbane potion laid waiting for him. He opened the lid and poured himself a goblet full of the potion. Remus casted one faint look at the moon before he drank the concoction, willing himself not to gag and waste any of it.

Remus continued to gaze out the window, his eyes searching for vivid pink as his mind began to wander. He wondered why he was so worried for her. He wondered why earlier, when he heard news that she was missing, his heart suddenly dropped. Surely Remus only saw Tonks as a friend. That's what they've been. She'd quickly struck up a strong friendship with him and they only grew closer from then. Remus was sure they were friends. But at that night, when he was worrying about her, he began wondering if maybe he wanted to have more than just simple and innocent friendship with her. He was genuinely worried for her, and when he thought about her he noticed a feeling in the pit of his heart growing stronger and stronger. Surely that feeling wasn't something he would feel for a simple friend.

"_Nymphadora and I are just friends. That's all there is to it_," he tried to remind himself.

But as Remus continued to worry and wonder about her, the more he realized that he could possibly want more than friendship with her. He shook his head once and forced himself to turn away from the window. He was in danger of falling for her. Remus knew he shouldn't and so turned away from the window, deciding to stop his own search for her that night. If he loved her, he would only be causing himself more pain than necessary. If he fell in love with Nymphadora Tonks, there would be nothing he could do. Remus always thought he wasn't worthy of her. She was a young a beautiful auror who deserved so much better than him, a shabby old werewolf. Remus huffed and leaned back on the side of his window frame, trying to put the battle inside his head to rest as he sloppily pulled the window closed. He shouldn't fall in love with Nymphadora Tonks, and that battle in his mind was settled.

* * *

><p>They had spent so much time with Sirius that both Alexis and Tonks nearly lost track of time itself. After leaving Sirius quickly and closing the entrance to the underground tunnels to which they came from, they made sure to get rid of any trace of Sirius being around to protect him from the searching aurors. Tonks and Alexis began heading back to the castle, realizing how much time had passed when their eyes met the waxing moon that hung high in the night sky.<p>

"Bugger, we've been gone too long," Tonks spoke as she gazed at the moon while walking beside her cousin, not paying attention to the many obstacles in her path and tripping.

Alexis caught her that time by grabbing tightly onto Tonks' arm. "Careful. It's not a good idea to take your eyes away from your path if you're notoriously clumsy," Alexis smirked.

Tonks stuck her tongue out at her cousin. "Reckon they'll be looking for us?"

"I'm sure they are."

"How come they haven't found us yet? And what if we gave Sirius' location away? With the locators that Rookwood and Bode still has, they'd be able to find us, _and_ Sirius."

"If you keep talking about him then they'd know we've contacted him," Alexis told her cousin. "I've tampered with the locators so that we're practically invisible to them."

"How?"

"I'm the one who drew up most of the blueprints for the locators," Alexis scoffed. "I made sure to create a spell that can trick it as well," she smirked.

Understanding and realizing that Alexis must have used a wandless and non-verbal spell some time earlier to trick the locators, Tonks shook her head and sighed at her bumbling rebel of a cousin. "One day you're going to get into so much trouble," she sighed.

"And until that one day comes, I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing."

Tonks sighed and shook her head. As they walked she gazed upon the moon, wondering where Remus was. She wondered how he would feel once he found out Sirius hadn't betrayed them after all, that Sirius was still his loyal best friend from many years ago.

Alexis noticed that Tonks' eyes were within the allure of the moon. She knew that when her cousin looked up at the moon longingly like that, she was thinking about one person in particular. Alexis never really understood the complicated concepts of love, but she knew that Tonks was in love without even having to ask. After a moment, she too glanced up as well, looking at the waxing gibbous and realizing what time of the year it was.

"The Blood Moon is this month," Alexis commented softly.

"The Blood Moon?" Tonks asked, turning to her cousin at the odd but familiar name.

"It's the October Full Moon. During the Blood Moon, a werewolf will…"

But before Lexi could finished they suddenly heard Silvia's voice. "Tonks!"

"Alexis! Tonks!" Marrick's voice called after them and the two girls looked around.

"Bloody hell, do you think they sent a search party out to find us?" Lexi asked.

Tonks was interested and wanted to know more about the Blood Moon, but Marrick and Silvia were approaching them. Marrick's hair was disheveled, his face wearing an expression of frustration while Silvia had dried leaves stuck in her long, curly dark brown hair and her eyes seemed tired. Tonks glanced at Lexi once and realized that her paranoid old mentor Alastor Moody probably had sent out a search party just to look for the two girls.

"There you two are," Silvia sighed. "We've been looking for you everywhere! You two just practically disappeared! Even the locators can't find you," she sighed, catching her breath.

"Really?" Alexis asked, feigning innocence at the mention of the locator. "I thought they'd work. Rookwood and I made sure they'd work properly in any situations."

Silvia shrugged but Tonks noticed that Marrick was looking intently at Alexis. "Where have you two been?" Marrick asked in a low voice, his eyes studying both girls.

"We fell down a path that led out of Hogwarts and got lost trying to get back in," Tonks lied, hoping her lie was believable. Hogwarts did have many secret passage ways and it wouldn't have been a surprise to Marrick or Silvia, hopefully. "I got scratched up by something," she continued, showing them her arm with the claw marks crossing her pale skin. "And Lexi cracked her head on a rock. She was unconscious for a while, that's why we couldn't get back," she lied.

Lexi glanced at Tonks for half a second and immediately caught on with her cousin's lie. Just like how they were back in school, Tonks would come up with the excuse and it would fall into Alexis' hands to make it seem believable since she was the better actress. Lexi allowed her pain from her throbbing headache to show through as she stumbled backwards a bit while Tonks made up their excuse. Silvia and Marrick immediately reached out, Marrick holding Lexi up while Silvia checking out Tonks' scratches.

"It's just a light scratch," Silvia sighed. "Tonks these look like claws. What did you run into?" she asked, observing Tonks' scratched up forearm.

"I think it was a really large cat or something," Tonks replied, pulling a confused face.

"Alexis do you have a headache?" Silvia asked, turning from Tonks to Lexi.

"Yeah and there's a bloody huge bruise on the back of my head," Lexi whined, feeling the bump on the back of her head. She didn't even have to lie at all.

"Come on. Let's get you back to the castle. We've been worried all night," Silvia sighed.

"Alexis, where have you two been?" Marrick asked as they began walking again.

"Didn't you hear? Tonks just explained everything," Lexi replied dryly.

"You're lying," Marrick spoke. He was too straightforward for his own good sometimes.

Lexi huffed as she threw her arms down heavily to her side. "If you think I'm lying then why do you even bother to ask, Kingston?"

"I'm just worried. You and Tonks have disappeared for most of the day and…"

"Nip it," she spoke shortly. Alexis rolled her eyes at him, knowing that Marrick could see through their act, having so much experience from catching them during school and listening to their excuses. Lexi knew she wasn't going to fool him, and settled for just fooling Silvia.

"No," he countered, not backing down. "I just didn't want you and your cousin to end up doing something reckless or stupid. When you and Tonks are together, you two tend to cause mischief. It's the same back in school and it's the same now."

Alexis usually didn't mind what he said, but somehow, being so tired that day and having Marrick jump to conclusions about her and Tonks just drove her off the edge. She and Tonks were doing something reckless, but it wasn't immature mischief like their days in school, and she wanted to yell at Marrick for relating it to that.

"Look Kingston," she spoke icily to him. "Even if Tonks and I _were_ doing something completely stupid and reckless, I do believe that it is none of your business to worry about. Besides, I would appreciate it if you don't automatically jump to conclusions about me and my cousin, comparing what we do now to the childish and immature acts of ours back in school." Alexis' tone was sharp and Tonks could spot some of the Black family aristocratic hauteur in her cousin's voice. She never said it out loud for fear of Alexis becoming irritated, but Alexis was more like a Black than anyone else, especially when she's angry.

"Lexi," Silvia called after the raven haired woman as Alexis stormed away, angry.

Tonks sighed and looked at Marrick. "Great, now you've angered her."

He shrugged and continued walking but his gaze never left Alexis until he could no longer see her in the night, heading back to the castle. He knew she was lying. He could tell, not because of being in school with her and Tonks for so long, but because he knew the look in her eyes. Marrick couldn't explain why, but Alexis' eyes grow colder when she lies, and he saw it grow colder then when she and Tonks were explaining where they were. He wanted to know why she lied, but ended up irritating her before he could even explain anything. He only shook his head and walked a little faster to keep up with Silvia and Tonks.

* * *

><p>After having to repeat her story or rather lie to Mad-Eye Moody and the rest, explaining why she and her cousin Alexis disappeared for hours and showed up injured, Tonks was finally given a break when Mad-Eye nodded, seeming to believe her story and let her go. Knowing that Alexis was already back at their sleeping area, Tonks decided to pay Remus Lupin a visit after hearing from Marrick that the poor professor had been genuinely concerned about them and though he looked ill, still came out to help look for them.<p>

Tonks was already inside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and was slowly making her way up to his private office. She didn't know what she'd say to him when she saw him, but all she knew was that she wanted to see the man. She also wanted to tell him about Sirius, but she knew that she should wait until after the moon passed less Remus became further stressed out. He didn't need anything else to trouble him.

She sighed and knocked on his door softly. After a moment Tonks heard soft footsteps and sounds from inside and could feel Remus approaching the door. When the door opened and her eyes fell on his, soulful dark eyes meeting gentle blue eyes, she felt her heart beat at a different rhythm. Suddenly, before she could even say anything, Remus' eyes suddenly lit up when he saw her and he pulled her into a tight hug, an embrace.

"I'm glad you're alright," Remus sighed, still hugging her. "You had us all worried."

"Thank you," Tonks replied, hugging the man back, unsure how to respond to him.

Remus slowly pulled back and led her into his office, his soft, gentle eyes on hers. "So you came to see me? You didn't have to. You should rest," he smiled warmly.

"No, you should rest," Tonks countered in a tender, soft tone. "Marrick told me you went out looking for us. You shouldn't have strained yourself. The moon is drawing closer and you're tired. You should be resting, not running around looking for us."

He smiled and let out a soft breath, shaking his head at her. "I'm stronger than I look, trust me," he replied. "I'm just glad you're alright."

"Thanks for worrying though," Tonks smiled as she sat down across from him on the long, threadbare sofa. "It's nice to know there's someone worrying about you."

"What are friends for?" Remus smiled and shrugged.

Tonks smiled warmly, watching him. She noticed that Remus looked worse than usual. As if his pre-moon symptoms were already taking a harsher toll on him and his wander out in the dark looking for her didn't do him any good at all. She wondered why his complexion paled more than usual, why he looked darkly ill and unstable. His eyes, when she took a closer look without losing herself in the gentle blue, she noticed they were bloodshot.

"Remus, you look at lot paler today."

He smiled wanly and nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid since the Hunter's Moon is this month, it's taking much more of a toll on me than it usually would," he sighed.

"The Hunter's Moon?" Tonks questioned. "_First Sirius was worried about stressing Remus out with this month's moon, then Lexi mentioned the Blood Moon this month, and now the Hunter's Moon? What's so special about this month's full moon?_" Tonks wondered to herself.

"The Hunter's Moon, also known as the Blood Moon," Remus explained, beginning to answer some of Tonks' many questions. "What most people don't know is that for werewolves, during the October Blood Moon, our transformation worsens and our instincts take over more parts of our mind than any other moon, if that's even believable," Remus scoffed bitterly. "Meaning even though I'm on wolfsbane, the transformation would be much harsher. I would still be able to prevent myself from harming humans, but my wolfish instincts and senses are enhanced so much that the wards I place on the Shrieking Shack won't be enough to hold me there. I'm usually more worried about this moon as I'd be wandering around the area as a full grown werewolf," he finished, his voice low and somewhat uneven.

"But you're not dangerous," Tonks spoke as she absorbed his words.

He nodded but still didn't seem convinced. "Yes, I'd still be able to keep myself from hurting humans, but there's always the slight chance. And besides, wandering around as a full grown wolf, if someone catches me something bad would happen. I'd either hurt them to defend myself or they'd try to kill me," he sighed and ran a shaky hand through his light brown hair that looked greyer than usual.

Tonks reached over and held his hand, tightening her hold gently. "You won't hurt anyone and no one will hurt you," she reassured him and herself as well, needing to know he'll be fine even with the pull of the moon.

Remus nodded and smiled to her. He looked like he wanted to talk about something else, anything else but the topic of the fast approaching Blood Moon. "Just a curious question," he began. "Where did you and Alexis wound up during the hours you were gone?"

"We ran into a couple Dementors," Tonks replied, trying hard not to lie to him but not to tell him about Sirius as well. "Actually, after we ran into the Dementors, we met an old friend of ours near Hogsmeade and decided to stay and chat to catch up with each other. Lexi knew of a way to trick the locators since she drew up most of the blueprints for them," she spoke. Technically Tonks wasn't lying. She was just being very vague. "Please don't tell anyone."

He appreciated her honesty and shook his head, smiling. "As long as you're safe, I won't tell anyone," he promised her, his hand still touching hers and he felt a warm feeling surge up his spine and traverse throughout his body, bringing him comfort and possibly _love_.

They continued sitting there, having comfortable small talk in the night as the warm fire blazed under the mantelpiece beside them. Tonks wanted to tell Remus about Sirius, eager to see his grin brighten when he realize that his friend is still alive and very much the same man he was, not some deranged traitor and murderer, but she knew that he'd be stressed out as well because of Sirius still being thought to have betrayed the Potters and the complicated betrayal and switch story of the Marauders. She settled on waiting until after the full moon to tell him.

As Tonks sat there and talked with Remus, she realized that her heart was beating faster, racing almost. An odd feeling churned in her stomach and her body felt exhilarated. It was a feeling that made her jumpy and hyper, but it was a good feeling. She didn't know why she felt that way, but she's had that feeling around Remus for a while, only that night it had gotten stronger and much more noticeable. She wondered why she had such feelings, but didn't know how to word her questions and so settled for the small talk they had and simply making the tired, pre-moon symptom Remus Lupin laugh and smile as much as possible. For a moment though, Tonks wondered if that feeling was telling her that she wanted to be more than friends with him.

* * *

><p>I hope it's ok, and if you're wondering why or how Alexis and Tonks could accept and trust Sirius so easily, I think I sort of explained it in there but tell me if I didn't do a very good job please. It all comes down to family, they're your family and there's something about family that has a magic of its own. I sort of explained this up there ^_^<p> 


	9. Calling of the Blood Moon

**Author's Note:**

Ah finally an update ^_^ Sorry, I've been trying to work out and plan the entire plot for my other story, Prisoner of the Moon, that I haven't gotten a time to finish this story. Well here's the update, I hope you enjoy it. Please review, thanks so much. Reviewing means a lot and helps me too! Thank you for reading! ^_^ Sorry for the irregular updates. Please bear with me.

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><p><strong>Chapter 09 – Calling of the Blood Moon<strong>

That night was a particularly cold and windy night. After much reasoning that as an adult she needed more freedom and being restricted to stay in the grounds of her old school would do her no good, Tonks finally got Mad-Eye Moody to allow her a trip to Hogsmeade alone, as an adult, not a student. She breathed into her hands, able to see her wispy breath. Tonks pulled on her black gloves and then wrapped her arms around herself as she continued walking, trying to enjoy as much of the solitude as she could. She'd skipped dinner that night, knowing that her cousin Alexis wouldn't be there anyways so there was no personal point in going. The sun had set and Tonks was wandering the quiet but not empty streets of Hogsmeade under the full moon.

As she walked, Tonks felt very small and insignificant, like a nobody. She was a silent figure padding through the stone streets, alone. Overhead was the full moon, cold and pale as a corpse, casting its faint milky glow over the world beneath it. Tonks gazed at the moon. Ever since that night at the Shrieking Shack, now, whenever she looked at the moon, she would picture one face, a tired but still very young and handsome face, crossed with scars and holding deep, gentle blue eyes. She'd wonder where he was, if he was happy or sad, if he was well or ill. Tonks sighed. She didn't know why, but whenever she gazed longingly at the moon, she'd feel her heart beat in a different rhythm as she began to wonder about Remus Lupin, her _friend_.

"Watch it," the voice of an aged wizard called out to her. She'd just run into someone while her eyes were lost to the moon. The man must have noticed that she was staring at the pale and cold full moon. He suddenly smiled. "Ah, gazing at the Blood Moon I see," he spoke in a pleasant voice. "If you want to gaze, I would suggest finding a high point, such as on the hills over there," he spoke, pointing to the dark silhouette of a peak which Tonks thought had been a small mountain. "There you'd get a very good glimpse of this year's Blood Moon," he smiled. "It's truly a breathtaking sight, trust me," he smirked and winked, his face seeming so kind.

"Thank you sir," she replied, realizing that those three words must have been the most polite she'd ever been to anyone, well except for Albus Dumbledore. Tonks walked away from the man, turning left as she headed for the dark silhouette of a hill he had directed her to earlier.

She was beginning to leave the small yet rowdy town of Hogsmeade as she neared the hill. Tonks realized that she was approaching the edge of the woods and she'd have to hike up it if she wanted a good look at the Blood Moon. Standing at the edge, Tonks saw that the hill looked larger, taller up close. She shrugged, seeing that she had nothing else to do for the night and also wanted to know what exactly a Blood Moon was. Everyone seemed to know but her.

Without any further thinking, Tonks began heading into the dark woods, the air becoming colder as she tugged tightly on her robes around her small frame. She huffed, able to see her breath again. A few feet into the woods and Tonks suddenly heard noises. They weren't normal noises of the night. They were hurried footsteps crunching on dead leaves. Her auror instincts kicked in and immediately she had her wand out. Tonks stood still, wary of her surroundings.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large animal that looked like a mix between a dog and a bear jumped over her, its sharp claws barely missing her face as Tonks ducked down but stared at it. One look and immediately one single word played across her mind: _werewolf_. But the werewolf wasn't the only footsteps she heard. Tonks turned in the direction the werewolf came from and saw a man, a hunter perhaps, running after the wolf with his wand in his hand. He ran head on into Tonks, unable to see her so quickly in the night. He quickly got back on his feet again.

Tonks stumbled back onto her feet as well, rubbing her arm which she'd been full on tackled earlier. She turned and noticed that the wolf hadn't escaped. Instead, it seemed to be standing between two large trees with an opening too small for it to fit through. It was breathing hard, its amber eyes sharp and glaring at the man and its muzzle hanging open, gasping for breath. Tonks wondered why the werewolf didn't attack though. According to Remus Lupin, most werewolves who aren't on wolfsbane don't think twice about attacking humans.

Then Tonks remembered everything that Remus had told her. Her eyes widened as she suddenly lunged herself at the wolf, pushing herself between the large animal with light brown, graying hair as far as she could see under the pale moonlight, and the hunter. She held her wand up at the hunter but glanced back to take a closer look at the wolf.

"What are you doing? Get out of the way! That thing will maul you!" the hunter yelled.

Looking into the wolf's eyes, Tonks felt the same feeling she'd always feel around Remus. She felt warmth and comfort. His eyes were the same the night she saw them in the Shrieking Shack. Though they were amber and of different size and shape, they were still Remus Lupin's kind and gentle eyes. Tonks then knew by her gut feeling that the wolf was Remus. He had told her a few short days ago that on the Blood Moon, even his wards at the Shrieking Shack aren't enough to hold him in and he'd end up wandering the area. Though he wouldn't harm humans while on wolfsbane, his wolfish instincts would take over and he'd be more like the animal. Tonks could see it when she saw the tired but wary gaze in his eyes. She then nodded, knowing the wolf was definitely Remus. She wasn't going to let him get killed that night.

"No!" Tonks replied sternly to the hunter. "Just leave him alone and you'll be fine!"

"Are you mad? It will rip you to pieces! I found it outside my house. It's a dangerous monster!" the man replied. He was tall and heavily built with a rough but stubborn voice.

"He's not going to rip me to pieces," Tonks defended. "He's my friend. Now leave. He won't hurt you and you won't see him again." The man's hazy eyes glared at Tonks skeptically.

The hunter backed up slowly, his wand still raised and his eyes still holding that cold, skeptical gaze at Tonks and the wolf. Tonks hated that gaze so much and if the hunter hadn't backed up a few more steps into the dark where his doubtful eyes were no longer visible, she would have personally kicked him back. She waited for another moment, listening as he left.

She then turned back to the wolf behind her, her wand raised at him. "_Lumos_," Tonks spoke as a flash of light appeared from her wand, lighting up the face of the werewolf.

The werewolf cringed slightly under the light, using his large paw to cover his eyes as he slowly lowered them once he got used to the bright light. Tonks studied him. Judging by the light brown fur the same shade as Remus' hair, the gentle yet somewhat off gaze, and not attacking her, she was certain he was Remus Lupin. Tonks sighed and lowered her wand once her eyes got more used to the darkness and could see him simply with the moon's pale light.

"Remus, can you understand me?" she asked softly.

The wolf didn't respond, but he just stood there, looking at her.

"I guess not," Tonks sighed. "_Wolfish instincts, of course he wouldn't understand me, I don't speak werewolf_," Tonks thought to herself as she took a step closer to him.

Her hand was outstretched to him and for a moment, the wary werewolf backed away, but he soon approached her himself, carefully when he saw that she wasn't going to harm him. Tonks got close enough to place her palm on his warm fur, his body heat radiating onto her hand. She immediately recognized that feeling and knew he was Remus. She petted the side of his head and she could see the very same human expression on the wolf's face, the one she recognized.

"You're hurt, aren't you?" she asked him when her hand gently trailed down to his chest and she found a large gash and dried, thick blood clinging to his light fur.

The werewolf watched as Tonks took her wand and placed the tip on his chest. His eyes moved a bit and Tonks could just picture Remus raising an eyebrow at her if he was human. She muttered a healing spell and a warm sensation swept around the wound on his chest. Soon the cut closed and with another quiet cleaning spell, the blood was cleaned. He tilted his head at her.

Watching the werewolf get closer to her, Tonks stood still as he watched her. She knew that he was wondering why a pink haired woman was being so kind to him. She simply smiled. Once again, the human expression on his face made her smile brighter when she remembered the night she caught Remus in the Shrieking Shack and his reaction was exactly the same then.

She thought she should stay with him, less he wandered again and someone else tried to kill him. "Great, you don't understand me. What am I going to do all night?" she smiled.

The wolf responded differently to her. He stood on his hind legs and bent down so his front paws touched the ground. His tuft tail was quirked up as his long snout drew closer to her. Tonks stood still as she could feel his very warm and wild breath fall on her face. She didn't know what he was doing but she felt like he wouldn't hurt her.

He drew closer. "Remus!" Tonks laughed when he suddenly licked her.

The werewolf looked at her again with that same look that Tonks would imagine was Remus' lopsided grin. She shook her head at him, watching as amusement danced in his eyes. "_Bloody wolfish instincts,_" Tonks thought to herself. "_Wait, when wolves lick each other, that means they fancy them right? Nah, I'm just thinking too much._" Tonks continued to pet him and huffed. "You're lucky you don't understand me or I'd talk your ear off right now."

Again the wolf responded differently for he couldn't understand her. Tonks watched as Remus bent down, his snout almost touching the ground with his elongated back to her. At his boney frame, she wondered how painful that night's transformation had been. Remus turned his amber eyes to her, meeting her dark green ones and motioned with his head for her to get on.

"You want me to climb on your back?" Tonks questioned.

The werewolf nodded and Tonks began to wonder if Remus actually could understand her or not. It was all too confusing, but seeing that she wasn't going to be in any danger, hopefully, Tonks climbed on anyways. She was careful with him and as she got on, Tonks felt ridiculously close to Remus Lupin. She hung onto him tight and her heartbeat skyrocketed at the touch. Tonks could feel his ribs under her stomach and as she wrapped her arms around his neck, she thought that maybe Remus was too skinny for a werewolf.

"Remus you really should eat more. You're like a stick with fur," Tonks laughed gently.

She heard a huff come from the wolf as Remus heaved his chest and let out the air. Tonks laughed a bit louder as she could just picture Remus Lupin, rolling his eyes at her while she was on his back. Tonks continued to feel closer to him as she rested her head on him. Her grip tightened a bit more when he suddenly stood. His elongated back still hunched over to keep her on comfortably but he'd shifted to just standing on his hind legs.

The next thing she knew, Remus was running. She was on his back as he was running to the top of the hill, carefully and skillfully dodging the branches, also worrying about the human on his back at the moment. Tonks held on tight as the blur of trees around her suddenly made everything seem so surreal. The cold air didn't affect her as much when she was holding onto him because Remus' intense body heat was enough to keep her warm.

"Bloody hell," Tonks breathed, looking around at the fast moving forest as Remus continued to make his way up the hill. Everything felt like a dream.

Not long after, Tonks and Remus in his werewolf form were at the top of the hill, standing in a middle of a large clearing beside a pond or lake of some sort. Tonks never knew that there was a place like that at Hogsmeade all the years she'd been there, but she was glad the place existed. The man she ran into earlier at Hogsmeade was right. She did have a good view of the moon there. Standing on high grounds, Tonks felt like she could actually reach out and touch the cold, pale moon. She looked around, taking in her surroundings and smiling.

Standing beside her was Remus Lupin, a werewolf under the pale moonlight. Beside them was a calm and quiet pond, reflecting their images and that of the moon in its crystal clear water. Tonks could hear the sounds of the forest around her. Standing there, she felt oddly peaceful, oddly relaxed. She was standing beside a werewolf under the full moon at a lake side, and feeling comfortable and relaxed.

Remus suddenly settled down on a soft patch of grass and dried leaves a few feet away, his eyes looking at her. Tonks simply stood there and watched him as he curled up. After a while, he raised his head and gave her a human look as if beckoning her to come over.

"You want me to sit there?" Tonks asked softly, amused.

He shifted his body gently and made an opening at his side where she could lay down. Tonks still wondered if Remus could understand her, but obviously she wouldn't get a straight and definite answer if she asked. She walked over and settled herself comfortably beside him, laying her back on his side as Remus' legs curled up around her, hugging safely to the mould of her small body without hurting her. She was lying in the arms of a werewolf, and yet she felt completely warm and comfortable. Tonks sighed and leaned back. Her life has always been rather odd. Maybe spending another night with a friendly werewolf wasn't too surprising.

She laid in his hold for a while, Remus' snout close beside her head. She could feel the soft rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, his warm breath stroking her face and his intense body heat warming her, making her forget how chilly and icy the air was.

Then, following Remus' eyes, Tonks turned to gaze up at the moon. She watched in awe as the change she'd never expected began to take place. The moon overhead had been cold and pale as a corpse, but it suddenly began changing. It was as if a cloud had casted over the moon as it changed from a pale, milky silver to blood red. The blood red moon now hung above them, looking down as if imposing danger and fear. It truly was breathtaking. She gazed at the moon, sensing the irony in the air. The blood red moon seemed like a harbinger for danger and fear, but at that moment, she didn't feel any danger or fear. Lying in Remus Lupin's arms, even if he was a werewolf, she felt safe and protected…_loved_. Tonks shook her head, ignoring the irony and the underlying meaning of things. Instead, she relaxed and gazed upon the blood red moon, her body fitting in perfectly with Remus'. She was warm in his arms despite the sharp and cold winds.

After a short moment once the moon was entirely red, Tonks felt Remus raise his head again. She knew what to expect when he did that. He was a werewolf after all. The next thing she heard was a howl. It was a deep and longing howl, but unlike the ones she'd heard from him before, that one wasn't painful or sorrowful. She didn't picture Remus crying when he gave that howl. Instead, that howl sounded almost like a serenade. It was deep and beautiful. Tonks could oddly describe it as romantic almost. Tonks turned to look at him as he flexed his jaw, howling at the moon. From her angle, it looked like he could swallow the blood red moon with his large bite. Remus howled again, serenading her a second time and then finally settling his head back to its previous position, beside her face.

Lying there with him, a strange feeling overtook her. It was a feeling she'd like to feel again. It was a pleasant feeling. To Nymphadora Tonks, for lack of better word, she decided to call that a _loving_ feeling. It made her wonder if what she had with Remus was just like others have said, more than simple _friendship_ after all.

"Merlin Remus," Tonks spoke, her hand stroking his soft fur as his soft amber eyes connected absently with hers. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were in love with me. You licked me and you howled for me, it's all things that wolves did when they fancy each other, right?" Tonks smiled. For a moment she did allow herself to think that Remus was in love with her. After all, if his wolfish instincts took over most of his mind, maybe his instincts wanted him to show his true feelings towards her as well. Tonks sighed. She shook her head and quickly dismissed that thought as she continued to stroke his fur. "It's odd. For the past two months I've been here, I've spent both full moons with you, and I'm still unscathed," she smiled. "You're not so dangerous Remus, and I'm living proof." She sat in his arms, continuing to stroke him. Tonks felt her heart beat at an irregular rhythm, her stomach in knots. She felt happy and flustered, warm and protected. Sitting there with him, even if he was a wolf, it still felt like sitting with Remus Lupin, and Tonks felt that she was in love. She stared absently at him while thinking: "_I think I'm falling in love with you Remus Lupin._"

* * *

><p>Like yesterday and the day before, instead of being at dinner, Alexis was sitting under the large oak tree in the east courtyard again, gazing at the night sky while working on the many reports and research she still had to do as an Unspeakable. She leaned back on the tree, flipping through pages after pages of a long report she had to study. Her decision to skip dinner was because of Marrick. She knew he could tell when she's lying. She didn't know how he could, but she knew he could. She needed to keep him from finding out about Sirius, for a little while longer until she could think of a certain plan to help her wrongfully accused cousin. So until she could think of that plan, she decided that avoiding Marrick's questioning gaze would be best.<p>

From where she sat under the large oak tree, Alexis could see the dark silhouettes of the tree branches framing the night sky. Overhead the moon was cold, still and pale. It casted a faint chilling light over Alexis and where she laid under the tree. She turned away from her papers for a moment and placed her hands behind her head as she leaned back on the tree, sighing wistfully.

Lying under the tree and gazing at the moon, she suddenly thought of her parents. She could still picture their faces clearly, every detail, every feature. From within her thin khaki jacket casted by a heating charm, she took out a picture folded into fours. She unfolded it. The picture was old and yellowing and its edges were torn. In the picture she saw her younger self, chasing a paper swallow at what was her old home, far away from England. Kneeling beside her were her parents. Her father laughing, his grin very much like hers as he charmed the swallow to fly around, while her mother was trying to settle her down for the picture. Her father had raven black hair, sharp features and dark eyes, just like hers. Like the other men in the Black family, he was darkly handsome with an air of aristocratic hauteur, but standing with his family, he was a loving father. Her mother was beautiful with dirty blonde hair and soft, kind features. She saw that only her mouth looked like her mother, everything else was her fathers. She looked at the old picture longingly. Alexis smiled wistfully again. She remembered when she used to be very active and jumpy just like the girl in the picture, but something had happened that seemed to have taken all the energy and eagerness away from her, something that took everything away.

"Skipping dinner for some soul searching I see," a familiar low and playful voice spoke.

She quickly snapped out of her longing thoughts. Alexis looked up to see the bright, grinning face of George Weasley as he sat down next to her, glancing at her papers. She quickly closed all her folders, careful so George wouldn't suspect anything. Alexis smiled at him and from behind him she could see his twin brother Fred nodding at them and then disappearing into the long corridors of Hogwarts.

"Funny, I thought twins were next to each other twenty-four-seven," Alexis smirked.

George laughed and leaned back casually on the tree. "That's what everyone thinks, but it's really not true. We're twins, sure we're very much alike, but we have our own lives too," he smirked. "Freddie's going to meet with Angelina in the library and I didn't want to be a third wheel. So here I am," he spoke conversationally.

"So basically, you've been ditched by your own twin. That's pretty sad," Alexis teased.

George sat up and stuck his tongue out at her, his grin broadening as he met her eyes. "Well why are you out here? It's bloody freezing and you skipped dinner for some soul searching and writing essays?" he joked, picking up her folders.

She casually took them away from him, not wanting him to see anything he shouldn't see. "If it's cold, go back inside kiddo," she teased him, placing her folders onto a small pile.

He scoffed and drew his knees up to his chest as he sat looking at her. "Kiddo? You make it sound like you're ancient. Let me remind you you're only a year older than me," he grinned. "And I'm bigger and taller than you. I'm no kiddo."

She shook her head and laughed. Somehow, she always could manage a smile around George and Fred Weasley. "True, true," she nodded. He was bigger and taller than her.

"So are you out here because you're mad at Marrick?" he suddenly asked.

"What?"

"You've skipped dinner for the past three days. Marrick said you're mad at him because of something he said a few days ago when you were missing and he was looking for you."

"Well I'm not mad at him," she admitted. "I just don't really want to see him."

"Whatever it is, I think you should talk to him about it," George spoke and nodded. He suddenly seemed less of the childish prankster at that moment. "He really cares about you, you know. When you were missing, he was freaking out looking around for you," George tried to smile and make his tone sound teasingly as he remembered that night. When Marrick said Lexi was missing, he too had a mini heart attack worrying about her.

"Did Marrick ask you to come out and talk to me?" Alexis asked, smirking at him.

"No," he smiled. "I came on my own. As you said, I was ditched by my own twin. I just think that you shouldn't be mad at him, he really cares about you. Besides, you've been skipping dinner. We missed your snide remarks on Marrick and you teasing Tonks at dinner. Ron and his friends are less rowdy without you and Tonks. And Tonks skipped dinner tonight too."

She nodded with a contemplative face. "Guess I'll have to talk with Kingston then," she sighed. "And I have been getting hungry late in the night lately since I didn't eat dinner."

"Well consider yourself lucky because I brought you food," George smirked as he pulled out a package of pumpkin pasties and two bottles of butterbeer from inside his robes. He handed her pasties and one bottle of butterbeer after he opened them, smirking when she raised her eyebrow, wondering how he smuggled the drink in with McGonagall's piercing eyes. "So why do you like this tree so much? I see you out here often," George asked as Lexi ate.

She wondered if he was actually taking notice to her. Alexis looked at him, seeing him to be less obnoxious and childish from how he was normally when he was around his twin. She shrugged. "It's peaceful here. And I feel closer to my parents." Alexis suddenly paused. She's becoming more like Tonks lately, slipping up and saying things she shouldn't.

George looked up at the sky, unknowingly scooting closer to her. "Your parents? Can't you just write to them? My mum writes to me and Fred all the time. A bit annoying really."

She laughed softly and shook her head. He was still a teenager after all. "I can't write to my parents," she replied conversationally. "They're dead. It'd be sort of impossible." She herself was surprised by her conversational tone. She could never have said those words without choking up but yet, around George Weasley she could. He made her feel comfortable, somehow.

George suddenly looked at her, his eyes losing its mischievous glint and replacing that glint with comforting warmth. Alexis mentally wondered if George Weasley was actually being sentimental and comforting. She could never picture the mischievous prankster to do that.

"I'm sorry," he spoke, his face not grinning but shifting into an apologetic expression.

If Lexi wasn't busy drinking her butterbeer, she might have actually raised an eyebrow and cock her head to the side at the expression on his face she thought could never be found on one of the Weasley twins. "It…it's fine. I've gotten over that a long time ago," she replied softly.

He nodded. He didn't show her pity or sympathy like she expected, and she was glad he didn't. Alexis was annoyed whenever people pitied her, being orphaned with no parents. Instead, George Weasley showed her compassion and comfort. "Your parents must have been great people then, seeing how well you turned out," he spoke in a soft tone. Again, Alexis was amazed. She was beginning to wonder if this was really George Weasley at all. It was a side of him she'd never seen before. He wasn't trying to impress anyone. He was secretly being himself. She felt as though this was how he is around his twin, when they're going through bad times.

"They were pretty good people," she nodded. "My dad at first seems a bit intimidating, but he's actually really kind and funny. My mum's the scarier one, but she's still nice as well." She couldn't believe it. Was she actually telling this teenager who she's known for two months, about her family? And said teenager was George Weasley, infamous troublemaker.

"How did they die?" George asked, quelling his curiosity and wanting to know her better.

Alexis was quiet for a moment, her eyes distant and her mask seemingly fallen. "My family's a little messed up. They're purebloods and value blood purity. My father offended a few people when he defended some people who were half bloods or muggleborns. Later, they say he was a blood traitor and he and my mother got killed because of it. I was almost killed too, but luckily my cousin barged in and saved me," she spoke. Alexis suddenly paused again. She was becoming too much like Tonks, needing to watch her own mouth. She discreetly glanced at George, worrying that her cover as a student there was blown.

"It must have been hard to lose them like that," George comforted her. "But at least you know they died for a noble cause. You should be proud of them," he smiled softly.

That was the first time she told someone other than Tonks or family something so personal about her, and it was also the first time she received comforting words that she liked. Surprisingly, they all came from a suddenly sentimental George Weasley. "Thanks George."

"Did you know who killed them though?"

"_Well, I've already gone this far, a little more wouldn't hurt,_" she thought to herself as she turned to look at him. For the first time she noticed George Weasley had comforting and warm hazel brown eyes. "Bellatrix Lestrange," she replied, cursing the ghastly woman.

His eyes lit up momentarily. "I've heard my dad mention her. She's some psycho woman from the Black family. He said she's locked up in Azkaban now."

"Yeah, she's a psycho alright," Alexis sighed, thinking about her own aunt. She continued to study him, the young man with flaming red hair, fair skin, hazel brown eyes, and a sentimental side of him that not many got to see. Then she smiled and for a moment, Alexis noticed George's eyes light up. "You know Georgie, I never could imagine you as the sentimental type," she teased softly, trying to turn the conversation to a different direction.

He grinned and chuckled softly. "Not many do. Only Freddie knows."

"It's nice," she smiled. "You're funny and cool, but you're also sentimental and sensitive as well. I bet if girls knew that, they'd be buzzing all over you," she teased.

George grinned again, broadly, his eyes squinting a bit from how big his grin was. "Girls already do buzz around me," he replied, his eyes still without its mischievous glint. "It's just that I don't like most of them. Unlike Fred who's found Angelina, I've still got no one to fancy."

"You're a little picky then aren't you?" Alexis teased.

He shook his head. "Most girls I know are too shallow and can't even take a joke. They only care about money and status, at least the ones I know. Not you of course. They're looking for a completely serious relationship, but I want there to be some fun and jokes in a relationship too. The girls all want those flowery worded romances where I'd have to sing for them under their window or something," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I'd rather play a prank for them under their window. Besides, my family's poor, and my mum's way too motherly. If I ever get a girlfriend, they'd have to get along with my mum and she can be a _little_ up your neck sometimes. She cares too much. I bet you if she could, she'd adopt the whole world."

Alexis laughed softly, her sorrows of being without parents forgotten around him. "Your mum sounds like a wonderful woman, wanting to adopt the world. And you'll find your perfect match someday. Then you can play pranks under her window and make her laugh."

"Yeah," George nodded. "I like making people laugh. Sometimes, a little bit of laughter can do wonders," he grinned, his lopsided signature Weasley grin. "And my mum, you should meet her. She'd adopt you too and anyone else she could feed," he teased. "Solve world hunger by setting Molly Weasley on the loose," he grinned. She liked George Weasley. She could sense a friendly connection with him. He has a sensitive and sentimental side that he hides under a mask of mischief and indifference, just like her. She felt comfortable with him.

They sat together, talking, making each other laugh with jokes and humorous stories. Soon Alexis could see the Blood Moon rising. The cold and pale moon shifted slowly as if a red cloud had casted over it. The moon turned blood red, a sight she had been waiting to see all night. Alexis saw George's mouth hang open in awe, his grin on his face as he watched the _wickedly awesome_ sight. She gazed at the moon for a while, discreetly casting a heating charm on the boy as he seemed to be getting cold under his thin robes. He glanced at her and smiled. Obviously she failed at being discreet and George noticed. Then in the distance, Alexis could hear a very long howl, sounding like a serenade of sort.

* * *

><p>After spending a few hours out in the cold night watching the Blood Moon with George Weasley, Alexis returned to her sleeping area on the third floor, her cheeks flushed pink when the heating charm had worn off without her realizing it. She walked in, surprised to see Marrick lying on his bed, seeming to be waiting for her instead of patrolling the halls. She raised an eyebrow at him. That night had been an odd night. She'd met a sentimental George Weasley. She was beginning to think that maybe Marrick <em>had<em> sent George out to talk to her into talking to him.

"You're sleeping early," Alexis commented conversationally.

"You're sleeping late," he replied in the same tone, knowing she usually slept very early.

"Did you send George out to talk to me?" she asked him as she walked over to her bed.

"No. He just left halfway through dinner with Fred, saying they had to be somewhere."

"Hmm," she nodded, pondering as she crawled into her warm blanket and sighed.

"Where's Tonks?"

"She said she's going to Hogsmeade for the night. Probably at the Three Broomsticks."

"Oh. Why didn't you go?"

"Believe it or not Kingston, we each need our personal time to ourselves."

"Right, sorry." He was quiet for a while after that and Alexis was just about to drift into sleep in her warm blanket until he started speaking again. "Alexis I'm sorry," he apologized.

"What?" she replied lazily while sitting up and looking into his dusty emerald eyes.

"I…I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. I was just worried about you."

She smirked. He usually never shied, even when she gave him icy glares, but now he was shying slightly. "Thanks for worrying," she smiled.

"I didn't want you and Tonks to end up doing something that could ruin both of you."

She nodded. "I admit Tonks and I are up to something…that to others is perhaps very reckless, very stupid and crazy," she spoke vaguely but truthfully. "But we trust ourselves in this one, and we feel that it's the right thing to do."

After a short silence, Marrick suddenly spoke. "I care for you and I trust you. I won't interfere with whatever it is you're doing. But please know when to pull back and stop."

"Got it," she smiled. "You care for me?" she teased and suddenly noticed him blushing.

* * *

><p>It was late. The sun has set and the full moon had passed yesterday. She was supposed to be patrolling the halls or finishing auror reports. But that night, after her experience with a blood red October full moon and a wandering werewolf Remus Lupin, she decided that she needed to speak with him. Tonks skipped the Halloween Feast that night, needing to speak with Remus instead to make sure he was ok. He was well enough to teach class that day, but he looked ill and they didn't have a chance to talk at all. Tonks however did notice that he kept smiling at her and looking at her when she apparently wasn't looking back. Tonks huffed. She was standing in front of the wooden door to his office. It was so late. She wondered if she'd be bothering him.<p>

"_A small conversation to tell him about Sirius and to check up on a friend wouldn't be too much right? Right, just to check up on a friend and tell him about Sirius,_" she thought to herself as she drummed her knuckles on the wooden door several times.

"Who is it?" she heard faintly from inside, his hoarse but soft voice muffled by the door.

"It's me, Tonks," she replied, listening closely to hear him a little bit clearer.

"Come in, the door's open," Remus replied.

When Tonks walked in, she stumbled through the doorway, tripping over what looked like glass tank with an angry bowtruckle sitting beside the door. Remus chuckled softly as he closed his book and got up to help her regain herself. He looked tired, ill, and worn. His robes were shabbier and more casual than usual. His shabby tan jumper had a few buttons remaining open around his chest, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his trousers were old and comfortable. His hair was short and light brown, flecked with more grey, she could see. He looked sick, but his expression was warm. They walked over to his threadbare sofa and sat down.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?" he asked her, thinking she looked tired as well.

Tonks shook her head. "I just wanted to check if my friend is alright. You said that on a Blood Moon, the transformation is worse, and last night…you were even wandering the woods. You didn't look too well today in class and I was worried the Blood Moon's pull had taken more of a toll last night," she spoke softly.

Remus' warm blue eyes lit up a bit as he turned his body to face her. "I've looked worse, trust me," he replied. "Listen Tonks…uh…about last night, I'm sorry."

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. "Why are you sorry?"

"You had to spend the moon with me again. I'm very grateful because if not for you I'd probably be hurt or have hurt someone trying to defend myself. But I know it must be…"

"Remus, it's ok," she smiled. She didn't know why she cared so much for him. Maybe it was because he'd been through so much and she admired him for being able to keep on going that she cared just a little bit more. "I'd never paid attention to the moon cycle. Last night, though I admit it was a bit odd, it was still pretty great," she smiled softly. "I'd never seen a moon that up close and never lie in the paws of a werewolf before and still be protected."

"I could have hurt you."

"But you didn't and you never could have. Remus Lupin, you wouldn't hurt a fly."

He smiled. His smiled turned from wan to warm and Tonks was amused as she watched how he waxes as the moon wanes. "Nymphadora, thank you. Thank you for caring so much. No one's ever worried or been as close a friend to me as you for a very long time. I've been cursed with lycanthropy for so long, and it's nice to have someone who cares for me like you."

Tonks reached for his hand and took it gently, smiling. She could feel his warmth on her skin and she felt the same _loving_ sensation she felt for him last night. Looking into his eyes, dark green meeting soft blue ones, she felt the same feeling last night as well. She felt warm, protected, and _loved_. Tonks knew that werewolf or human, she was falling in love with him. She smiled wistfully, knowing he didn't feel the same, because Remus only saw her as a friend.

"Remus, you don't have to tell me…but how did you become a werewolf?"

He was quiet for a moment, but he chose to answer her, slowly, in a low and almost bitter voice. "I was five," he began. "My father offended Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf. Greyback was known to purposely position himself near children during the full moon so he could bite them and turn them into werewolves with him. He bit me as a way to get back at my father. He was about to take me with him, but my parents fought him and got me back."

Tonks didn't know what to do. Remus' voice was so soft and broken that he made her heart fall to pieces listening to him. He didn't tell her a story, just a summary of what happened, but the haunted and depressed look in his eyes did more than a story could ever do. It made her want to do whatever it takes to take that burden and pain away from him.

"On my first moon," Remus began again. "I was so scared." His voice broke and her heart broke along with it. Remus trusted her with his feelings, with his emotions. He didn't know why or how the connection formed, but he felt a connection to her. He felt stronger, happier around her. He felt more comfortable, like he could do anything with her. Remus paused for a moment. He felt like he _loves_ her. Mentally he shook his head and backed away, dismissing the thought as he continued his words. "I didn't know what was happening. Then I just felt pain, a lot, a lot of pain. I didn't know what I did when I turned into a wolf. Just that when I woke up in the morning, I was still in pain." His voice was barely above a whisper. Tonks moved closer to him, unknowingly lost in his sad blue eyes. "My mother took care of me. My father told me it would be alright. But I knew…they looked at me differently. They looked at me…as if they feared me. They were afraid of me. I felt so alone, so scared. I couldn't play with other kids, what if I hurt them? And werewolves were discriminated upon, they wouldn't accept me. Even my parents were afraid of me," Remus sighed, his voice hitched. He was telling her something…that no one else knew about him. He was voicing to her his heart. Not even the Marauders knew that.

"Remus," Tonks breathed. She hadn't realized it, but she was holding him now. Her arms were wrapped around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder as he did to her. He was warm and she could feel the soft rise and fall of his chest and the gentleness of his calloused but warm skin, just like yesterday during the Blood Moon. "You don't deserve any of it." It was all she could say. What do you say to a man who had been through what he's been through?

His arms were around her slim waist. He was holding onto her, for support or for comfort for what he didn't know. He just knew that somehow, she accepted him. Somehow she didn't care and didn't look at him differently and it made him feel better. He didn't know why, but holding onto Tonks made him forget being a werewolf and the years of loneliness and secret fear he'd gone through. It was all so wrong but it felt so right. He knew he shouldn't get close to her because she was too good for him. She was a beautiful, young, and brilliant auror. She had a bright future. She deserved so much better than him, but Remus felt that he needed someone like her. She made him happier. She made him feel loved. Nymphadora Tonks made him feel like there was a place for him in the world and that he wasn't trash. Remus felt warm…and loved with her. But he thought she would never feel the same way.

They both think the other would never feel the same way about their love. But little did they know, they were both oh so very wrong. She felt a feeling she vaguely described as love with him. And he felt a feeling he knew was certainly love with her.

"Remus, you don't have to be alone anymore. There are people who aren't afraid of you."

"The only ones I know are the Marauders and you. But they're all gone, and you're the only one left. But that's all I need. Thank you Nymphadora, for accepting me."

Tonks smiled softly. She didn't even have the heart to yell at him for using her dreadful first name. "What if I say that they're not all gone?" she asked him, needing to speak about Sirius now. Remus needed a new hope, another friend who cares for him. "Remus, I know you hate Sirius for what he's done, but he's still alive."

Again, Remus was quiet for a long time. Yes, he was disappointed and mad at the man for betraying them, but he could never say he hated the man. Remus had allowed his upset with Sirius to go on long enough. He suddenly wanted to tell Tonks how he truly felt about the man that was her cousin. "I don't hate him," Remus spoke softly. "I'm sad and disappointed with him, but I could never hate an old friend. In fact, I miss him." Remus paused, thinking about his words and laughed a bit, bitterly. "I don't miss the insane, homicidal lunatic he is now. No. I miss the playful, completely not serious, Sirius Black from my time at Hogwarts. He was my best friend," he spoke softly, his eyes distant as he thought about the man.

"What if I say he's innocent?" Tonks asked, beginning to smile.

"I want him to be innocent too, trust me," Remus sighed. "I'd rather live with the guilt that I've thought wrong of him all these years than know that my best friend betrayed me and another best friend of ours. I want him to be innocent, because then, at least I'd still have the one friend I thought I lost. But all the evidence points towards him in being the one who betrayed James and Lily Potter. He even killed poor, innocent Peter."

"Evidence alone can't prove a person guilty or innocent," Tonks spoke, remembering it as something Mad-Eye Moody had told her during auror training. She thought for a moment and remembered Mad-Eye _did_ say those exact words to her during training. "Remus, a few days ago when Lexi and I were supposedly missing, we ran into Sirius in the woods." That got his full attention. Remus looked up at her with surprised eyes. "We both made a reckless, perhaps stupid move when we sat down and talked to him instead of capturing him, but he was our cousin and we trusted him. Lexi even used Veritaserum. Sirius told us that he never betrayed the Potters. He wasn't even their secret keeper. Peter Pettigrew was and it was Pettigrew who betrayed them."

"But…Peter's dead," Remus spoke, listening intently, dancing on a whim of hope.

Tonks shook her head. "No, Peter is Ron's pet rat, Scabbers. He was the one who betrayed the Potters. Sirius told them to make Peter their secret keeper because Voldemort wouldn't suspect him as much as Sirius. Peter betrayed them, framed Sirius, and escaped. He's been hiding as Ron's pet rat Scabbers for twelve years."

Remus shook his head. He was in disbelief. For twelve years he'd gone thinking that Sirius was the secret keeper, Sirius was the traitor, and now Tonks is telling him differently, and a strong part of him wants to believe her.

"I know you won't believe me Remus," she sighed, but she didn't look like she was giving up. "When you feel better, I'll take you to see Sirius."

"He's here at Hogwarts." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

She nodded and slowly removed her arms from around his neck as she pulled away from him, hesitantly. Tonks looked into his gentle blue eyes and knew that he wanted to believe her too, but what she told him was going back on everything he'd known for twelve years. She knew he was going to need some solid proof. Tonks only hoped that the scrap of paper Sirius had with the picture of the Weasley family and Peter Pettigrew as Scabbers on it was enough.

* * *

><p>How was it? I hope it was ok ^_^<p> 


	10. Searching for the Lying Rat

**Author's Note:**

Update! I'm a little nervous about this chapter because I was scared the reactions weren't realistic enough. Do tell me what you think, thank you ^_^ Please leave a review and thank you for reading.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10 – Searching for the Lying Rat<strong>

The lonely moon overhead was shifting from waning gibbous to its third quarter. In early November, the sky lacked the presence of stars that night and only the pale, changing moon could be seen from behind the thick black clouds. The air was cold and dry but still. Somehow, even the winds are calm, foreboding change that is yet to come.

Footsteps could be heard as three people treaded softly on the window grounds of Hogwarts, stomping on the crunchy dead leaves. Tonks, with her hair long and wavy dirty blonde to not draw attention, walked beside Remus whose robes were patched but less shabby than usual. They followed closely behind Alexis, the raven haired woman in a tan khaki overcoat and very tight jeans, looking more muggle than ever. In the night, Tonks and Alexis were leading Remus to meet with the man who was once his best friend, Azkaban escapee Sirius Black.

"I don't remember it taking this long when we walked. Lexi, are you sure we're not lost?" Tonks added, looking around at the massive dark trees.

"Really Tonksie, it's Hogwarts, how could we be lost?" her cousin scoffed.

"You're leading the way," teased Tonks as she jumped over a fallen tree instead of tripping like she normally would. "And stop calling me Tonksie. It's rather embarrassing."

"At least Alexis didn't call you Nymphadora," Remus smiled innocently.

Tonks gave him a death glare as Alexis scoffed again. "Oh if only looks could kill," she smirked, shaking her head. "Here we are, the exact spot," said Lexi who also raised an eyebrow at Tonks. "Remus, I'm sure you remember how to open the entrance." She stepped to the side.

Remus took out his wand and waved it in a distinct but not too complicated flick at the ground. From where Alexis had previously stood, the ground suddenly opened up, forming an entrance that looked like a larger rabbit hole in the ground. "_Engorgio_," Remus spoke and the hole widened so that three people could fit in it. "Alright, in you go," the professor smiled. "Reckon I should come in last just in case."

The two young women nodded as they both leaped into the hole. Remus followed shortly after, landing on his feet with a loud thud as he quickly took in the appearance of the old underground tunnel he and his friends had discovered. It looked like that of the muggle sewage system, luckily without the waste. Then there were four Marauders, and now there were two.

"Bloody hell. At least give a man a warning before just popping in like that," the hoarse voice of Remus' old friend spoke, a voice he hadn't heard for twelve years.

His first thought when he saw the boney, malnourished, haunted, and scarred raven haired man stand up was that he was only a shell of who he used to be, what he used to look like. Remus thought Lexi and Sirius looked alike, but there was some resemblance in Tonks as well. Perhaps it was the Black family genetics. Sirius smiled seeing his two cousins. Remus who stood quietly behind the two young women had noticed that Sirius' smile turned to a grin when Alexis grinned a similar way to his and Tonks changed her hair to bubblegum pink. The man probably hadn't had much to smile about for a long time.

"What brings you here? Did you catch him?"

"Wormtail, no. But Moony, yes," Tonks replied as Remus made himself visible.

"Well, well Sirius, looking rather ragged aren't we? Finally the flesh reflects the madness within," Remus spoke in an unreadable tone as he studied his old friend who wore a ragged Azkaban prison uniform, shredded and marred with dirt.

Seeing that his wand wasn't drawn and he spoke in that familiar twisted humor tone Sirius had personally instilled within the man, Sirius took it as a good sign. "Well you'd know all about the madness within, wouldn't you Remus?" he grinned, his voice low and hoarse but stronger and having a playful edge to it.

Remus didn't grin but he had on a smirk, wolfish for lack of better word, and Tonks took it as a good thing. "Moving right along. Sirius are you cold? We brought you a winter cloak."

Alexis handed her lanky cousin a thick and very new winter cloak, looking as if it had just been purchased. "And if you don't mind repeating yourself cuz, would you please tell Remus what you told us the last time we met?" Lexi added after Tonks spoke.

"This fits perfectly Lexi," he smiled, eagerly wrapping himself in the warm cloak. "And of course I wouldn't mind. That is, if Remus trusts me enough to listen."

"Lexi, got any Veritaserum left?" Tonks asked, glancing at Remus, thoughtful.

"No, it's fine," Remus spoke softly, taking the first step closer to his old friend. Even after everything he's supposedly done, Remus still knew that look in Sirius Black's eyes. The man wasn't lying. And if Sirius trusted Remus enough to reveal his location to him and jeopardize his own safety, the least Remus could do was to give the man back some of that trust. Besides, no matter how disappointed he was because of Sirius, there's still a whim, an almost invisible thread of hope in him, hoping that Sirius Black was indeed innocent and never betrayed them. Because then at least Remus would have one Marauder back.

Sirius' grin turned to a genuine and grateful smile. They all sat down and listened as Sirius retold his story again. He retold the story of his escape, of the Order of the Phoenix, the mistrust and tension that came between the Marauders which eventually led to their downfall, the night James and Lily got killed, and the switch of the secret keeper and betrayal. Sirius left out the details that Remus already knew and would much rather not have them repeated. To Tonks and Alexis, they were just simply hearing the story again. They'd already transitioned through the emotions and disbelief the first time they heard it. But to Remus, he was hearing a very logical story that contradicted the truth he'd known and believed in for twelve years. To Remus, before, all the facts seemed scattered and forced. But now with Sirius' story, everything fit into place like the missing piece of a puzzle. After hearing Sirius' story, he could finally sort out the truths from the lies, the facts from the assumptions. The truth that Remus Lupin had known and believed in for twelve years was quickly beginning to change.

When Sirius finished, there was total silence. It was so quiet Tonks could hear the soft breath of everyone there. After a long while, Remus finally spoke, his eyes looking at the man softly. "He was the one…and you've switched without…without telling me?" he asked. At the end, Tonks could see hurt in his eyes when he realized that his best friends, the people that he'd trust with his life, didn't trust him.

There was heavy guilt in Sirius' eyes as the haunted man nodded softly at Remus. "Remus…I'm so sorry. My biggest mistake in my life was not trusting you," he spoke quietly.

Remus' eyes turned away from them as he looked at the stone ground where he sat. "I wouldn't blame you," he spoke softly. "During that time, I kept disappearing."

"But why though?" Sirius suddenly asked. "That's what James and I didn't understand. We already know that you'd go away for your transformation each month. But you didn't just disappear during times of the full moon. You disappeared randomly," Sirius spoke softly.

"I…I don't really want to talk about it," Remus sighed, recalling several harsh cases of memories that he'd locked away and never wanted to see them again. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment and Sirius understood that Remus didn't want to recall those brutal thoughts. "But those times I disappeared, I was going on a mission for Albus Dumbledore. It's an infiltration mission," he spoke vaguely. As Remus talked, an image of that time flashed through his mind, an image of being taunted, embarrassed, and insulted by the one man he hated and feared more than Voldemort himself. Remus opened his eyes to look at Tonks and took a deep breath. He turned to Sirius and asked, "Do you trust me?"

Sirius nodded. It had been years, but he could still read Remus as easily as Remus could read his many books. Dumbledore had asked Remus to do something then, something that had to be kept a secret, and he wasn't going to make his friend retell those memories to him if they were too harsh for the man to remember easily.

"I trust you mate," Sirius replied. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you before though. I'm sorry, I hope you understand. I should have never doubted you," Sirius replied softly.

"Those were difficult times, I understand," Remus replied, looking at his hands for a moment, but luckily he turned back to Sirius and to Tonks, his eyes didn't seem as hurt as before. "So Peter was the traitor…and he's still alive today, in hiding?"

From inside his new winter cloak and shredded jail uniform, Sirius took out a crumpled newspaper page and handed it to Remus. "This was what made me break out of Azkaban."

He took the paper from his friend and unfolded it carefully less he ripped and damaged an important detail. When he opened it and saw the picture inside, Remus knew it was the Weasley family. They had won a trip to Egypt to visit their eldest son Bill. It was in the papers but Remus never read pass the fifth page and he never saw this. Then, sitting in Ron Weasley's hands was a rat. Remus' eyes widened. It was Ron Weasley's pet rat Scabbers, the rat he'd often hear Ron talk about but never saw. Looking at it, he knew he could never be mistaken. The rat had been a part of the pack with a werewolf, a dog, and a stag many years ago. Even after twelve years he could never mistaken that rat. The rat was Peter Pettigrew. Seeing the rat made Remus believe everything Sirius had said. There were no doubts. Peter was still alive and hiding as Ron's rat. It was all the proof he needed.

"Peter," Remus breathed.

"I'm innocent. I would rather die than betray you or James or Lily. But Peter he…"

Sitting quietly beside her cousin, Tonks watched as the two men spoke with many blanks, leaving out many painful memories they'd rather not talk about. She realized that during that war and struggle against Voldemort, it had changed them and scarred them. She saw that Sirius and Remus both had memories they'd much rather deny and keep locked away. She watched them quietly, wondering how she'd fare if she was ever put in the same position. Tonks turned slightly to look at Alexis. Sirius was strong. He could survive with those brutal memories like he's doing now. Remus was strong. He could live with them, like he does now. Alexis, she'd had a haunted past too and could survive somehow. But Tonks, she felt if she was ever in the same position as these men, in a war fighting for love, family, and friendship, she was afraid she would fail.

Remus subtly cleared his throat, pulling Tonks out of her thoughts. She watched as he nodded and Sirius didn't have to say it again. "All this time it had been Peter. Sirius…Padfoot, I'm sorry. For twelve years I blamed you. For twelve years I thought…"

"Moony it's alright. We both made mistakes but luckily we're on our way to fixing them. It's better late than never. Besides, we're still young," he smiled and for that moment, Remus, Tonks, and Alexis could see the bright, Sirius-like grin in him.

"So we've got to catch Pettigrew now," Tonks spoke up.

"I'm going to kill that dirty little coward," Sirius growled, his anger visible on his face.

"You can't kill him. If he's dead, the truth dies with him," Alexis told him. "We'll catch him and take him to Dumbledore and Moody. I bet if a man who's supposedly dead in the case suddenly shows up, they'll have to reopen your case, and this time around, the evidence will be in your favor. You'll be free again Sirius."

Sirius nodded, turning from Remus, to Tonks, to Alexis, with trust in his eyes.

"As I always say, the Ministry is really fucked up," Tonks voiced, successfully making Remus chuckle as she too smiled when his lips quirked up.

"It really failed rather dramatically too," Lexi teased conversationally.

Sirius laughed at his cousins. "I'm never ashamed to admit I'm related to you two."

Remus' smile slowly faded however as he turned to Alexis. "I take it after hearing this story twice, you now know that I am a werewolf," he spoke softly but solemnly.

Both Tonks and Sirius grew quiet as they awaited Lexi's reaction. Remus expected just about anything, anything but a cheeky grin that is. "Oh please," Lexi scoffed rather casually. "I figured it out a long time ago."

"What? How?" Tonks mused just as Remus was about to ask the same thing.

"The night at the Shrieking Shack, conveniently, Silvia told me Professor Lupin was missing that night and the next morning he looks rather ill and injured. Besides, his nickname is Moony for god's sake. Tonks you don't think I'd believe that his animagus is some odd creature that comes out under the moon did you?" she smirked. "Besides, it just so happens that at the ministry while I was doing my own private research on the locators behind the Ministry's back, I got a hold of the England Werewolf Registry from my friend in that department."

Tonks knew her cousin often did private research and knew more than the Ministry does about the Department of Mysteries. She remembered Lexi clearly knew locators didn't work on animagi and werewolves. That must've been how she found the information. "But you're an Unspeakable. How in the world do you have friends on Level Four when you're on Level Nine?"

"I'm friends with you aren't I? And I'm friends with Silvia and such," Lexi replied dryly.

"Unbelievable," Tonks sighed, amazed at how much of a contradiction her cousin was.

"That's my brilliant cousin," Sirius smiled, knowing what she was going to say next.

"Don't worry Remus. I'm not prejudice against werewolves. Even if I was, you'd prove me wrong because you're a brilliant professor and a fine bloke for Tonks."

"Alexis, thank you," Remus smiled and his eyes flickered to Tonks for a moment.

Tonks opened her mouth, about to protest, but she saw that smirk on Sirius' face and knew she was no match against the two Blacks. "Now our top priority is to find Pettigrew and prove Sirius' innocence," she spoke, clearing her throat subtly.

"As long as Ron doesn't lose him, it will be easy to get to him," Lexi spoke.

"Sirius we're going to prove your innocence," Tonks promised and he trusts her.

"We better go though. The others will wonder where we are. Wouldn't want another search party now do we?" Lexi scoffed.

As they rose to their feet, Tonks handed Sirius a wand, his wand. "How'd you get this? They took it from me when I entered Azkaban."

"I'm an auror Sirius. I nicked it from them when I was there in training," she scoffed much like Lexi did while handing him his very distinct wand, 15 inches with a square-like distinguishable handle and symbols etched over it.

Alexis looked at the wand sensing familiarity in it but dismissed her thoughts as she scoffed. "I'm not the only one who nicks stuff from the Ministry."

Sirius chuckled as he patted his cousins on the back. "I trust you all. Don't visit too often less you get in trouble," he reminded his cousins, closer than siblings to him. Then he turned to Remus as he tucked his wand away. Remus Lupin was closer than siblings to him as well. "Remus my old friend, thank you. You've always been so forgiving."

Looking at his old friend, Remus smiled. Sirius' story could have been entirely another lie, but he trusted him and was willing to trust him again. Sirius was a shell of his old self, but he could see that Sirius was quickly recovering around his friend and family. A psychotic, insane, homicidal murderer could never imitate that honest, genuine, teary smile that Sirius had on. Remus studied Sirius for a moment longer with a small smile on his face. Even though the evidence were scarce, he had his friend back. That was enough.

"Sirius…" Remus began softly.

"Ah just hug it out," Tonks smiled beside them.

With that both men hugged each other tightly, brotherly. He'd missed him. Remus admitted he'd missed the obnoxious, idiotic, but loyal and sometimes sentimental Sirius Black.

"Moony," Sirius smiled, choking on emotions.

"Padfoot, good to have you back," Remus smiled, trying hard to mask his emotions as well. "We'll find Peter and prove your innocence."

When they pulled apart, Sirius gave each of his cousins a warm and tight hug as well. "Don't do anything stupid," Tonks reminded him, knowing that he had a wand now. "We'll prove your innocence and by the spring you'll be able to walk through those doors to visit us and your godson as a free man," she promised him. Sirius nodded. He trusts these three people. He valued them over the world. Looking into Remus' eyes, Tonks' eyes, and Lexi's eyes, he was surprised by how much they have changed and grown over the twelve years, but he knew they thought the same of him as well. Looking into their eyes, he knew he was going to be free again.

* * *

><p>After returning from Sirius, Tonks could see that Remus was especially relaxed. Perhaps seeing his old friend again had done him some good. Remus truly was too trusting and too forgiving, but he trusted and forgave the right man. They headed back to the castle and Remus invited both girls to his office, hoping to put their minds together to come up with a way to catch Peter Pettigrew because they all knew that simply taking the rat from Ron wouldn't work and they would have a lot of explaining to do with the boy.<p>

Inside Remus' office, Tonks sat down as Remus served them tea. She smiled at him as he smiled at her but blushed when she noticed Alexis smirking from her seat in the single overstuffed armchair. Tonks glared at her cousin and soon ignored her, turning back to Remus as they all began to think of a plan to catch Peter.

"We could just grab the rat from him and make a run for it," Tonks suggested.

"Yes, and then what will we say to the poor kid?" Alexis replied, stirring her tea mindlessly. Tonks had almost forgotten, Alexis doesn't like tea, but luckily she was polite enough not to voice her dislike.

"How about we tell Professor Dumbledore then? He could ask Ron to let him see the rat," Tonks spoke again, sipping her tea.

"Yes, it seems like a good idea, but I don't think it would be safe to have too many people know where Sirius is located," Remus sighed softly, sitting down beside Tonks.

Sitting back, Alexis watched quietly the interaction between Tonks and Professor Lupin. She was amused to see the similar look in each others' eyes. They both looked warm and happy, completely delighted at the sight of each other. She didn't know if either of them noticed yet, but from a third person point of view, Alexis could see that Tonks and Remus were rather mesmerized by each other. It was all in the way they looked at each other.

"Earth to Alexis Black," Tonks spoke, waving a hand in front of her cousin's face.

Lexi snapped back to reality, raising her hand up to her face as she stroked the side of her cheekbone, a habit of hers. "Sorry," she smiled. "I zoned out for a bit there. I was having too much fun thinking about how good two particular people would look together," she smirked.

Tonks opened her mouth and was about to speak when she suddenly caught on and scowled at her cousin. Remus on the other hand, stared at his tea and drank it, avoiding eye contact with either girl. Alexis smirked again and leaned back, continuing to stroke her cheek while staring at the steaming cup of tea. Silence fell over them for a while. Tonks' mind was split in a hundred different directions, thinking of ways to protect Sirius and ways to catch Peter Pettigrew as well. When she looked up again, she saw that familiar glint of mischief in her cousin's eyes and she smirked.

"I know that look Alexis Black," Tonks spoke, drawing Remus' attention as well. "What are you planning?" she asked, knowing from school that Lexi always had a plan for everything.

"Well, Remus, how similar am I to Sirius?" Alexis smirked.

Remus thought for a moment and nodded his head side to side. "I'd say you two are very similar," he replied honestly, thinking about both members of the Black family. "You have a lot of similar habits as well. You, Nymphadora, and Sirius all walk with a backward lean. And you Alexis…tend to stroke your cheek like he does, but Sirius strokes his chin as well."

"Really Remus, you pay quite a lot of attention," Tonks smiled.

Lexi smirked. "And do you think I could pull it off if I pretend to be Sirius? If I put a cloak over myself and show only my eyes and charm my voice, that others would believe I'm Sirius Black?" she continued to ask the two of them.

"Sirius' eyes are a different color from yours," Tonks pointed out. "His eyes are grey and yours are dark brown, almost black. But if just a glance, of course people would believe you're Sirius Black. You resemble the entire Black family quite a lot."

Alexis mock scowled at her cousin. "Thanks Nymphadora," she replied dryly.

"Daft dumbo," Tonks replied, sticking her tongue out.

"What are you planning Alexis?" Remus asked, hiding his smirk from Tonks' comeback.

"Well, I could pretend to be Sirius, get into the Gryffindor common room, and search Ron's bed to see if he left the rat there. I can be a little dramatic and shred the curtains as well to give them the scare. Then during that time, Remus could have a class that would require the students to bring an animal to class or something for a demonstration, sorry I can't think of a lesson at the moment. But if I can't find the rat in his dorm, Tonks could see if Ron has his rat with him during the lesson. Then, Moody on his usual patrol route would walk by and see the bed curtains shredded, and think that Sirius got inside the castle. He'd have Dumbledore gather all the students in one place, the Great Hall perhaps. Then Remus could ask the students to leave their animals in the room and Tonks and I could grab the rat. And on the off chance that Ron takes his bloody rat with him because it's rather small, the kids would all be gathered in one spot. We could tell Moody that Sirius' animagus form is a rat, and Moody will do the catching for us."

"I'm impressed Alexis, that plan is rather well thought out," Remus smiled.

"But wouldn't it make more sense if I was the one pretending to be Sirius since I am after all a metamorphmagus," Tonks reminded her cousin.

"But you're supposed to pose as a student and be in class. Think about it Tonks, if you missed class, Moody's going to question. While me, Marrick and I split up half the time now to cover more patrol ground. I can fake as Sirius. Besides, Sir Cadogan is guarding the Gryffindor common room now in replace of the Fat Lady after the last time Sirius came here," Lexi scoffed. "Sir Cadogan is a total dolt. He'll let me through easily and still think I'm Sirius."

"It sounds like it could work," Remus nodded, contemplating the plan.

"And in there's only one way out of the Great Hall and the other aurors could cover it," Tonks mused. "But there are small mouse holes around the hall as well and the rat could slip through there. Even Moody can't chase down a slippery little rat you know."

"But Ron's very protective of his rat. He'll have a pretty good grip on the thing."

"And I could teach the class about animagi and how animals can detect them."

Alexis clapped her hands once and smirked at Remus, leaning back in her chair. "And once the aurors have got the rat, no doubt they won't let him out of their sight."

"I still think there's a chance that it would fail," Tonks mumbled. "But I think we should give it a try," she finished.

"Of course there's a chance that it will fail, but we'll have plenty more chances to catch him later. As long as we get the aurors, especially Moody, to think that Sirius' animagus form is a rat afterwards, it'll still help us."

Tonks nodded, glancing at Remus who seemed to agree as well. It appears that they were going through with Lexi's well thought out but still rather odd plan.

* * *

><p>It took a lot of effort, but Alexis had finally scheduled it so that she and Marrick would be able to patrol together during Tonks' Defense Against the Dark Arts class. They were walking around the empty halls. Alexis was out of uniform having find them quite restricting. She walked beside him, thinking of ways to suggest to him that they should split up to cover more grounds.<p>

"What are we going to say if the students see us?" Marrick asked suddenly.

"Say that you're a prefect. You're pretty uptight sometimes, it's believable," she replied.

"What about you then?"

"Well you're in your uniform and I'm not, say you're bringing me to a teacher to get yelled at or for mischief making. It's not like that's never happened before. It's believable."

Marrick nodded in agreement, knowing that in the past, Alexis and her cousin Tonks would prank if given the opportunity, and would often be out of uniform. "Alexis, why is it fun when you're causing mischief?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes, needing a way to get away from him to carry out the plan. It was getting late already. "You're a _by-the-book_ person, you wouldn't understand," she smiled and he was drawn to her eyes. "Sometimes a little joke and a little laugh is just what you need."

"Tell me," Marrick spoke in a softer voice as he wanted to learn more about her.

"You won't understand," she smiled. "Only a fellow troublemaker would have a clue."

Marrick opened his mouth and was about to ask her to explain when he suddenly caught a duo with flaming red hair ahead of them as they turned the corner onto another corridor. The twin faces of Fred and George were wearing identical grins, waving and walking over to them.

"Shouldn't they be in class?" Marrick questioned.

Lexi smirked. Maybe she could get away with the twins' help. "I knew your prefect self would surface sooner or later. Hey! What are you up to Fred, George?" she grinned.

"We're playing a prank on Filch," Fred smirked.

Marrick realized how similar smirks of mischief were as he remembered seeing a smirk similar to the twins on Alexis and Tonks' face often. "Shouldn't you be in class at this hour?"

Alexis rolled her eyes and playfully pushed Marrick. "Give them a break, it's Filch."

"Thank you Lexi. Want to watch? Filch is coming soon," George grinned.

"Alexis, we're on patrol. And you're a terrible influence," Marrick sighed.

Alexis scoffed and rolled her eyes again at him. "Ok I'll go on patrol. But we should split up to cover more grounds," she grinned. "How about I see what Fred and George are up to, and you go on your usual route, and all take over our night route?" she asked him.

Marrick rolled his eyes at the twenty-two year old woman still amused by old school pranks, but he found her oddly cute as well. "I feel bad for Filch," he sighed. "And I think this is rubbing off on me but keep constant vigilance Alexis," he told her with a serious gaze.

"Alright, alright," she replied, laughing, as Marrick walked away and turned out of the corridor. "Alright boys, what are you planning?" she smirked, thinking that maybe a quick prank wouldn't through off her schedule too much.

"We're going to give him something new from our Skiving Snacks we're working on," Fred grinned as he pulled Alexis and his twin George who seemed a bit distracted by something behind another corridor, peeking out to see Filch approaching the small heart shaped box that they had floating in mid air.

"Oh are you going to trick him into eating it? This is always fun," she grinned.

Soon, the three were watching eagerly as the Hogwarts caretaker opened the box. His eyes widened as he admired the delicious looking treats. Filch reached inside to pick up a piece of heart shaped chocolate and put on in his mouth. The three snickered. Suddenly, Filch's face had red sores popping up and his lips grew out of proportions. After a few seconds, the old caretaker's lips looked like two giant sausages while red sores marred his face.

Fred and George had identical faces as they snickered while Lexi just fell over laughing.

"Well that was fun," Fred commented as he recovered from his laughter.

"You guys are brilliant!" Lexi laughed. "Filch with sausage lips, I'll never forget that."

"Wait till you see what else we've got," George grinned.

"Puking pastilles and more," Fred grinned following his twin.

"Oh I'd love to. But I kind of have to be somewhere right now you know, patrolling. Otherwise, I'm afraid Marrick might tear my head off," she smiled.

"I'm sure he'd never have the heart to do that," Fred teased. "I know George wouldn't."

"Ignore this idiot right here," George smiled. "Alright, see you later Lexi."

"Ok, I'll ignore the idiot that is Fred," Alexis smiled and began walking away. "Oh, I wouldn't go on the fifth floor if I were you. Marrick patrols up there," she winked and left.

Her next priority was to get up to the seventh floor and into Gryffindor Tower undetected. She just hopes she wouldn't run into Marrick again, or Mad-Eye Moody. Marrick already told her _constant vigilance_ and she didn't feel like having it screamed in her face a second time by a very paranoid old auror. "Getting pass that dolt Sir Cadogan shouldn't be too hard," she mumbled to herself, nodding and walking up the stairs.

* * *

><p>During Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Remus had come up with a lesson about animagi and how common animals and pet familiars could detect them by nature. The students were to bring their pet familiars in for a demonstration, and they all knew that Ron would no doubt bring his pet rat, Scabbers. That afternoon Tonks sat at her desk, looking over Hermione's cat Crookshanks as she resisted from growling at Ron's rat. Remus was at the front of the room, going on about the lesson on animagi and how to detect them or turn into one. They were just waiting for Alexis now, but she was late as half the class had already gone by.<p>

There was a series of loud banging on the door and Tonks smirked as Remus opened it. "Professor White, is something wrong?" Remus asked a panting Silvia, feigning innocence.

"Remus, Professor Dumbledore wants all the students in the Great Hall at once," she panted, catching her breath. "Sirius Black is inside the castle."

Just as Tonks had expected, panic aroused immediately. The kids were looking around at each other, fear on their faces and talking rapidly, screaming, basically panicking. "Everybody calm down," Remus spoke and soon the class grew quiet. Tonks thought it was impressive how they all listened to him. "I'm afraid that animals aren't allowed in the Great Hall so please leave them all here. We must head there immediately." There weren't any resistance as the third year students got up from their seats and filed out of the classroom.

"Wait for Alexis and be careful, please," Remus told her as he left with the students.

Tonks stayed behind, careful not to draw any attention to herself as she closed the door behind Remus. She was now standing inside the classroom, packed with animals, looking around for her bumbling yet rather witty cousin. Appearing from out of nowhere, Alexis Black stood beside Tonks as she took off the Ghost necklace.

"What took you so long?" Tonks asked quickly.

"Hey, I had a lot to do," Alexis defended as they walked to Ron's desk. "I had to get rid of Marrick which was rather daunting. And then I ran into the twins and watched a prank of theirs. Then had to put a cloak on and pretend to be Sirius. Then Sir Cadogan can't even remember his own bloody password, and then I got a little carried away shredding Ron's bed curtains. Oh and did you know Harry hid chocolate frogs under his pillow?"

Tonks rolled her eyes at her cousin but then searched the desk. "Bugger," she spoke when they saw Ron's metal rat cage empty. "Of course. The bloody rat is small enough that Ron probably took the bloody thing with him."

"Well come on then, Moody's probably at the Great Hall too if they think Sirius is here."

Both girls headed for the Great Hall, Tonks regaining her student morph as Alexis shrunk the large black cloak she had over one shoulder and hid it, now wearing only her black jumper and very holey jeans, very out of uniform. Their plan was going fine so far. Lexi was to pose as Sirius, get past Sir Cadogan who replaced the Fat Lady portrait guarding the Gryffindor common room, and shred Ron and Harry's bed curtains. Then on his usual patrol route which Tonks had found out, Moody would come by the Gryffindor tower under the Ghost Necklace and the paranoid auror would look at the bed curtains and think Sirius Black got inside the castle. They would then cease the chance of the round up to look for Peter.

"You messed with the other locators and set them to look for Pettigrew now right?"

"Already done. If he's in the Great Hall we'll catch him or rather I bet Moody will."

"What do we do when they see Pettigrew instead of Sirius?" Tonks wondered.

"If they see a man that's supposedly dead, I think it will still be in our favor."

The doors to the Great Hall were open and Tonks could see all the students sitting at their table, sitting awfully quiet. She felt bad for lying, but it's to save an innocent man, her cousin. The teachers along with Albus Dumbledore were gathered at the door. The house prefects and heads were receiving instructions from the teachers as Tonks could see Percy Weasley's flaming red hair. Next to Albus Dumbledore, Tonks could see her old mentor, Mad-Eye Moody, his mechanical eye whizzing like mad. He'd successfully drawn attention to himself as Tonks could see Harry asking Hermione who he was.

"Quick, grab my collar like when we were sneaking around in school," Tonks whispered.

"What?" Lexi replied but grabbed her collar anyways, just like in school.

"I'm not a prefect but we need to speak with Moody."

"Sir Cadogan had let a mysterious man into the Gryffindor common room because he had the password," Minerva McGonagall spoke, her lips pressed in a firm line as she seemed worried. "Sirius Black really had gotten inside the castle Albus."

Albus Dumbledore turned to one of the portraits hanging beside the giant doors to the Great Hall. The knight Sir Cadogan had travelled from his portrait up on the seventh floor down to the Great Hall. Tonks took one look at the knight and immediately understood why the students deemed him as insane and why Alexis had trouble getting him to remember his own _bloody password_. He was doing questionable things with a lady in one of the portraits before Albus Dumbledore came and spoke with him.

"Sir Cadogan," Albus Dumbledore spoke.

The knight straightened immediately, bouncing around in his place. "Uh, yes sir?"

"Is it true that you let a mysterious man into Gryffindor tower today?"

"Why of course good sir. He had the password," the knight answered innocently.

"And what did this man look like?" Albus Dumbledore continued to question.

"He had on a large black cloak covering his face. I saw his eyes however. They were dark, ominous, and sharp," the knight described, perhaps exaggerating a little with his flowery speech. "Eyes like the _devil_ my good sir. Though he was rather small, shorter than I expected for a man with those eyes. But his voice, it was deep and low. He was completely mad! I had trouble remembering the new password I set and he even yelled at me. He's a raving lunatic!"

"Thank you Sir Cadogan," Dumbledore nodded and turned back to the teachers.

Tonks had to work hard to fight back a smirk. Of course Alexis Black would be able to perfectly imitate her own cousin. "_Note to self: recommend Lexi to become an actress._"

"It's all in the stare," Alexis whispered to Tonks, smirking and winking at her cousin.

"Tonks, Alexis, where'd you two come from?" Moody asking, turning his body to prevent the kids from seeing them talk, especially Tonks who was supposed to be a third year.

"The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom," Tonks replied. "We were tracking Sirius Black with Lexi's locator," she lied. Tonks felt a terrible lump in her throat having to lie to Mad-Eye, the man who trusted her, but she knew she had to, for Sirius.

Alexis already had her locator out, showing it to him. "He's in here," she spoke evenly.

"He's really in here Alastor," Silvia spoke, showing Mad-Eye Rookwood's locator that showed the exact same indication as Lexi's. Alexis had to fight back a smirk.

"There's only one way out of the Great Hall. But where would he be? There are only students and teachers in here and the students are in a state of panic," said Dumbledore.

"Black is an animagus," Marrick reminded them, appearing from behind Alexis.

Moody grunted and Tonks recognized that grunt. She had to fight back a smirk as he spoke. "There's not just students and teachers in here," he grunted while his mechanical eye was looking through the back of his head. Tonks always thought that was disgusting when it does that and tried not to gag. "There's a toad and a rat in here as well, belonging to the students."

"Ah yes, the toad would be Trevor, Neville Longbottom's pet," Remus spoke up from beside Dumbledore, his eyes glancing at Tonks and Alexis discreetly. "And the rat is Scabbers, Ron Weasley's pet rat."

"Silvia, Remus, Rookwood, you come with me," Moody ordered. "Tonks, Alexis, Marrick, get back with the students. The prefects have gone and you must not blow your cover."

"But…" Tonks protested but Alexis had already pulled her away.

"Come on, it's Moody, he'll catch the little traitor," Lexi sighed as they soon joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The three kids looked worried, especially Harry.

"What was going on over there Tonks? You were talking to Alastor Moody, the auror."

"_Merlin, Hermione is quick_," Tonks thought. "My mum was the one who first spotted Sirius Black. She was talking to me and Auror Moody," Tonks answered, remembering that Silvia was posing as her mother. "_And Merlin, when was the last time I called Moody that?_"

"He's here, trying to kill me," Harry spoke softly, his eyes distant and worried.

"Who told you that he's trying to kill _you_?" Alexis asked.

"Mr. Weasley," Harry replied. "He only warned me about what he heard from his job at the Ministry. But why is Sirius Black trying to kill _me_? I don't even know him."

Tonks and Alexis discreetly glanced at each other. Obviously Harry doesn't even know about his parents' relations to the Marauders and it was probably best that way for the moment.

"I don't get it. Why me?" Harry continued.

"Harry, it might not be you who he's after," Tonks spoke but Lexi suddenly stepped on her foot, reminding her to watch her clumsy mouth.

"Pardon me Nymphadora, Alexis," Remus' gentle voice spoke as he, Mad-Eye, Silvia, Rookwood, and Dumbledore approached them. Tonks and Lexi stepped to the side, their vision split between Harry and Ron who no doubt had the rat.

"Professor…" Harry began but Dumbledore cut him off.

"In a minute Harry. Mr. Weasley, may we please see your pet rat?" the headmaster asked.

Moody was standing directly in front of Ron, making the young Weasley whimper as he took out his rat from within his robe pocket. Tonks balled her fist up, wanting to just snap that lying rat in half. Dumbledore stood between Alexis and Tonks, looking at the rat intently behind his half-moon glasses. Lexi had the same reaction as Tonks and was trying hard to keep herself from scowling. Tonks could see Remus' expression beside her, his face calm, much like Albus'.

"What do you want with him? Leave him alone," Ron spoke when the rat began squirming desperately in his hands.

Tonks heard Moody grunt again. Everything afterwards happened so fast. Mad-Eye had his wand up but before he could even use the spell, Scabbers bit Ron's hand and escaped, leaving the boy bleeding. The rat darted around all the other students' feet, running for his life as Mad-Eye growled and ran after him. Silvia and Rookwood quickly followed but the Great Hall was so packed with students that even legendary auror Alastor Moody lost the rat within seconds. Tonks and Lexi both already had their wands out and were about to run after the bloody rat themselves, but Albus Dumbledore held them both back. The Great Hall was filled with shrieks as Moody gave chase but the crowd slowed him down and the rat escaped. Tonks looked to Remus and saw that he was tense, his teeth clenched. They were so close.

"Scabbers!" Ron yelled, going after his pet.

"We lost him," Remus sighed but it sounded like a low growl, again, wolfish.

"Damn," Tonks and Lexi breathed at the same time.

Harry and Hermione had gone after Ron and Lexi and Tonks were left standing with Marrick, Remus, and Dumbledore. Tonks pulled Lexi and Remus to the side to speak privately as Marrick had gone to settle the kids and Dumbledore went to speak with the teachers and handle the students. Alexis huffed and stroked the side of her cheekbone as Tonks calmed down.

"I thought you said this plan would work," Tonks sighed.

"Unfortunately I forgot one minor detail. Rats can bite," Alexis sighed. "But even Mad-Eye Moody couldn't catch him in time. We need a better mouse trap."

"Moody couldn't just fire spells at him because they could hit the students," Remus explained to Tonks as she was about to speak again, effectively settling her a bit.

"Great. Now we'll never catch him," Tonks groaned.

"Oh I wouldn't stress out Miss Tonks," Dumbledore spoke as he turned back to them. "I've just asked Severus and Minerva to place a spell around the school so that not even a fly will get through. You'll catch him in time. After all, justice always has a way of working out for those who are innocent," Albus Dumbledore smiled and winked at them with a familiar twinkle in his eyes that the three immediately recognized.

Alexis, Tonks, and Remus turned to look at each other just as the headmaster left. They all had a mixture of question and surprise in their eyes. Tonks always joked to Alexis that Professor Dumbledore knew everything. But she, Lexi, and even Remus had all seen it as a joke and that Dumbledore was just really well informed. Could the great wizard really know everything?

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><p>I hope it was ok. Please tell me what you think ^_^<p> 


	11. Just a Bit Beyond Your Reach

**Author's Note:**

Hope you like it so far ^_^ Remember to review, thanks so much!

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 – Just a Bit Beyond Your Reach<strong>

That night the late November moon was changing again. The moon was cold and pale, but it wasn't as lonely as it had always been. Looking up at the sky from his office window, Remus could see the many stars in the sky. He felt the same as he did around the same time every month. But somehow, that month there was another feeling in the mix. He felt warm. The moon that month wasn't as lonely as the ones before.

A small owl arrived at his office window, its feathers grey and clean. Remus recognized it to be from Minerva McGonagall. He carefully untied the parchment from the bird and unfolded it as the bird left. Obviously Minerva wasn't expecting a reply. The letter was written in her tiny, elegant scrawl on Hogwarts letter paper.

_Remus,_

_ I must apologize for the inconvenience but I won't be able to cover your class this upcoming moon and Auror White will be busy patrolling the school by Alastor's orders. Therefore I have set it up so that Severus would cover your classes. Take care, Remus._

_ Sincerely Minerva McGonagall._

Setting down the letter, Remus turned to his blazing fire the mantle and sighed. He worried about Severus covering the class, wondering what more insults the man would leave for him. Suddenly, there was a soft knock at his door. He turned away from the fire and tiredly headed to the door.

"Nymphadora, hello," Remus smiled, forgetting his weariness entirely.

"Wotcher Remus, and stop calling me Nymphadora," she smiled, heading into the room as Remus walked close behind her.

"Alright," he smiled as he added more wood to the fire. "Is Alastor still questioning your team about the incident with Ron and Harry's bed curtains and Sirius being inside the castle?"

Tonks sat back and scoffed. "He's getting paranoid. To him, he'd allowed Sirius to slip by right under his nose…err, what's left of it," she chuckled. "He would use Veritaserum on everyone in the school if he only could. Though for the moment, he's taken back all our tools so they could double check them, meaning the time turners, locators, and necklaces are gone."

"Tonks, be careful. You and Alexis could get in big trouble if Alastor used Veritaserum. And without the tools, we won't be able to look for Peter until you get them back."

"No worries. If there's one thing useful about my bumbling cousin is that she knows a way around everything, including Veritaserum. Actually, all Unspeakables known how to resist Veritaserum, it's a part of their job. And we may not have the tools anymore but I still have the second locator Lexi nicked," Tonks smirked.

Remus smiled, looking at her. "You and Alexis make a great team."

"Well we understand each other rather well. That's why we work well together. You come to understand people after going through so much with them."

"I'd say we've been through quite a lot ourselves too. What after the last several months and the full moons," Remus smiled gently.

"I know Remus. That's why we're good friends now," Tonks smiled and patted his hand. "The November moon is coming up. What are you going to do?"

"What I do every other month I guess," Remus replied. "I've just gotten an owl from Minerva saying Severus would be covering my classes."

"Ugh, Snape," Tonks groaned with obvious disgust for the man. Remus chuckled. "Can I join you during the moon?" she asked.

"No," Remus replied immediately. "For the past two moons, I am more than grateful for your company. But unless something desperate comes up, I do not wish to endanger you."

"I'm a trained auror Remus, trained under Mad-Eye himself," Tonks sighed.

"And even trained aurors have been reported to get maimed by werewolves during the full moon. It would kill me if I put you in any danger, any at all. Please Nymphadora, I greatly appreciate the care and company, I really do, but I'd rather you not put yourself in danger."

Tonks was about to protest, but seeing the worry in his eyes she thought it would be best if she not stress the poor professor out before the moon. "Alright," she sighed. "Well what do you say we use my locator to look for Pettigrew? I want my cousin a free man as soon as literally possible," she smiled softly.

"As do I Nymphadora, as do I," Remus replied, getting up.

"Please stop calling me Nymphadora. It's a ghastly name, Remus," she sighed.

Remus chuckled. "Alright, but it's a beautiful name." She rolled her eyes at him, knowing he wasn't going to stop calling her by that wretched name. Tonks took out the locator and headed out of the classroom with Remus beside her. "Won't Alexis be joining us? You and she make a great team. Or has Alexis turned in early tonight?"

"No, she's usually pretty lazy but not tonight," Tonks replied softly as they walked in the empty corridors. "It's the twenty-seventh, my uncle Marcus, her dad's birthday. She's probably looking for some time alone."

Remus nodded and sighed. "I've heard Sirius talk about her parents' death. The First Wizarding War has broken many families and scarred many more."

"Yes. And my family was responsible for most of the loss," she sighed bitterly. "Aside from my mum, Sirius, Lexi, and her parents, the rest of the Black family really were the homicidal dark wizards the public make them out to be. Lexi lost her parents, Sirius lost his freedom, and my mum lost her siblings."

"I remembered your biggest fear is Bellatrix Lestrange."

"She's Lexi's biggest fear too. That woman alone tortured my mother for marrying my father, yelled and insulted me, and killed Lexi's parents. She'd done many more evil deeds."

"It's uh…it's quite a life you've got there Tonks," Remus spoke in a soft, gentle voice. "You're now friends with a werewolf too."

As they walked, Tonks looked up at him and smiled warmly. "Well you have quite a life too. With everything you've been through, you're now friends with a clumsy metamorphmagus."

"Not clumsy, brilliant and beautiful," he smiled.

"Thank you Remus. I never thought you'd be one for flattery."

"It's not flattery if it's the truth."

She was about to speak more but the locator in her hand suddenly went off. "Two floors down and to the east," she read from the complicated arrows on the compass-like instrument. "We're on the first floor now so he'd have to be in the dungeon." She turned to Remus.

"Well then we'll head there. And I'm guessing Alexis did some tinkering with that."

"Yep, bumbling, but no doubt brilliant cousin Lexi," Tonks scoffed. "And I'm supposed to be catching Sirius Black, my own cousin, but I end up looking for a traitor instead. How did I end up with a life like this Remus?"

He shrugged and smiled as they headed down the grand staircase with their wands lighting the way. Tonks' footing slipped and she tumbled down, her arms flailing. Luckily Remus had caught her in time, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her back up. Tonks' hands were on his chest as her eyes widened and her heart beat rapidly. Her morph had slipped back to her twenty-one year old self and Tonks thanked magic that her robes magically shifted along with her change.

"Thank you Remus," she breathed, her eyes lost in his.

"I'll always catch you from falling," Remus breathed as gentle blue met brilliant green and got lost in a spellbound connection.

After a while, Tonks pulled away from Remus, successfully breaking from his gaze and blushing madly. "I swear my clumsiness will be the death of me," she laughed nervously.

Remus only smiled as they continued descending the stairs. Tonks didn't bother to morph back and Remus could feel his heart beating at an irregular rhythm, a feeling he's never felt before. Remus felt flustered and forced himself not to breathe too heavily. He knew he was in danger of falling for Nymphadora Tonks, and he knew it shouldn't happen for her sake, for both their sakes. To distract himself, Remus reached into his pocket and took out a half eaten bar of Honeydukes' chocolate, his favorite.

Seeing him break off a piece of chocolate and place it in his mouth, Tonks laughed softly. "Chocolate is second to nothing in your world," she teased.

"Oh it's second to _something_ Tonks," he smiled. "Would you like some?" he asked, handing her a piece he generously broke off.

"Thank you," she smiled and took it, eating the piece of chocolate as they headed into the dungeon. "Blimey. It's pointed to Snape's office," Tonks breathed. "Why Snape's?"

"I'm sure Severus is unaware. Though I am curious as to why Peter would be hanging around Severus' office."

"Do you think we should go in and look around?"

"If Severus would allow us then I don't see why not," Remus replied as they both stopped in front of the wooden door to Snape's personal office, drowned by the deafening silence that echoed and rang in the dreary dungeon.

Tonks drummed on the door while glancing at her locator, seeing that the main red arrow was pointing her straight inside while the other indicators were moving around only a tiny bit. They waited for a short moment and the door opened, blowing a gust of cold air in their faces. Severus Snape looked down at them in the doorway, his black robes and dark office proving true Tonks' theory in him being the dreariest man in the world.

"Lupin, taking a walk in the moonlight?" he sneered in his dry, monotone voice. "Can I help you and Nymphadora with something?" he asked as Tonks scowled at him, her hair red.

"We were wondering if we can search your office for Sirius Black," Remus replied carefully. "We've been tracking him from the third floor to here."

"Curios why you would want to look for him Lupin, your old friend, when you're neither an auror nor Unspeakable," Snape replied, thinking Sirius' animagus was a rat like everyone else Tonks and Lexi has fooled.

"Well I am an auror and Severus Snape I'd like to have your cooperation," Tonks jumped in, prepared to take out her auror badge if he continued to sneer. "_I can call you Severus now because I'm not your student anymore, git,_" she thought.

Snape's beady black eyes shifted from Remus to Tonks. "Very well."

The dreary man stepped to the side as Remus and Tonks walked into his private office, their wands drawn out as they searched for the lying, traitorous rat that was Pettigrew. Tonks looked at her locator closely and quickly rushed forward towards the stone wall, the indicator growing stronger. Remus followed beside her and they both found a rat hole in the wall, hidden in the shadows beside Snape's large bookshelf. They've lost him again. Tonks was beginning to think perhaps they should start to build a better mouse trap.

"We could've grabbed him if we had the necklace," Tonks sighed.

"As long as he remains at Hogwarts, we'll catch him."

"I'm surprised to see you so eager to catch your own cousin, _Nymphadora_," Snape sneered, purposely drawing out each syllable of her name. "You must be a very devoted auror."

Getting up from the ground, Tonks growled at the potions master and was about to speak, challenging him, when Remus pulled her back and whispered soft words to her ear. "Just ignore him like I do. I don't even hear what he's saying half the time now. It's all a monotone buzzing."

Tonks cracked a smile and huffed. "Thanks Remus."

"If you are done here, I would like to ask you to leave."

"We're done. Thank you Severus," Remus sighed as he and Tonks exited the potions master's room. "Does the locator still show traces of him?"

"Yeah, he's still here in the dungeon," Tonks sighed. Without words to communicate, Tonks and Remus continued to search around the dungeon. It had been the same many nights before. They would go around the castle, looking for the lying coward who had betrayed Remus and caused Sirius to have to serve twelve wrongful years in Azkaban. Every night they'd let him slip through. Remus was beginning to think maybe they should resort to using muggle mouse traps, those sticky kinds especially.

* * *

><p>Her face was freezing, the night was cold, and the air was still. Looking up from the very old and worn picture of her smiling family, Alexis remembered that this calm night was what her dad liked best. But then she remembered the silly man liked any kind of weather. When she was four, he was grinning during a thunderstorm, saying it was a beautiful day. Then she remembered her mum as well. Unlike her father, her mother was rather level-headed.<p>

"I guess it's in our blood isn't it?" she asked softly, sitting under the great oak tree in the east courtyard. Where she sat, she could still see the bright moon and stars. It was odd that sitting there, she'd feel closer to them. "All Blacks are a bit wobbly," she smiled wanly.

_**Seventeen Years Ago**_

_ That night was a calm summer night, no different from ones before. Her parents and she had just returned to England after being away for nearly five years. The weather was warm outside. It was the beginning of summer after all. They were staying in a small cottage that had once belonged to her mother. It was a small and beautiful cottage her parents called Riverside Cottage. Situated right next to a river, during the day Alexis would escape to the riverbed and play with her cousin there, messing around like the little kids they were and just having fun._

_It was late in the evening however, and Alexis was sitting upstairs in her room playing with a toy broom her cousin Tonks had just given her. Tonks was right beside her, poking at something she couldn't quite remember, but it had been something very breakable as the next moment, they heard a crash and whatever Tonks was messing with had fallen to the ground, breaking into about a million pieces._

_ "Bloody hell!" Tonks yelled, reacting naturally._

_ "Nymphadora, language!" Alexis heard Aunt Dromeda, Tonks' mother call from outside the hallway. "Don't curse in your Uncle Mark's house!"_

_ Then Alexis saw Tonks grin broadly as Marcus Black, Alexis' father's laughter rang through the house. He had a barking laugh, loud and obnoxious, but still very warming. "Relax Dromeda," he told her aunt in the hallway. "They're just kids."_

_ "Mark you are going to ruin my daughter. I'm surprised yours is so well behaved," Andromeda Tonks sighed and Alexis could just imagine seeing her aunt roll her eyes._

_ "All thanks to Michelle, otherwise, Lexi might be as loony as I am," Alexis heard her father laugh again and then her bedroom door opened. "Hey Tonksie in all honesty, let's not say 'bloody hell' ok?" the man smiled. He was a tall and darkly handsome man, his features a more masculine version of his three sisters, being the oldest out of the four children of Cygnus and Druella Black. His hair was jet black, the same shade as his daughter Alexis. Their smirks were identical. Even their eyes were the same dark brown, almost black, caring but mysterious._

_ "Ok Uncle Mark," Tonks sighed and stuck her tongue out at Alexis who was laughing._

_ "But…" Marcus Black suddenly spoke up. "I never said you can't scream 'you stupid wanker' instead," he smirked and winked at them before closing the door._

_ "Lexi I love your dad," Tonks grinned._

_ "Tell me about it," Alexis smiled. "Remember how we managed to sneak the dungbomb down that fat muggle kid's pants yesterday? My dad taught me the way to do it."_

_ "Your dad's bloody brilliant," Tonks smiled and sighed._

_ "Not as smart as my mum though," Alexis replied. "Dad's witty, mum's book-smart. There's not a question she can't answer," the raven haired girl grinned._

_ "I wish my parents were like yours," Tonks stuck her tongue out and blew a lazy raspberry. "My dad's calm and cool, and all my mum's good at is yelling."_

_ Alexis laughed. "Your parents are awesome, stop complaining. Though how come your dad doesn't come over here often? Andromeda and Sirius literally takes turns coming here every day. Do you know what's going on?" she asked, pulling her knees to her chest._

_ Tonks suddenly leaned in closer with a look of discovery on her face. "I don't know exactly," she whispered dramatically all of a sudden. "But I stayed up really late one night and heard my mum and dad talking to Sirius. They said your family needs protection?"_

_ "Protection? From what?"_

_ "I don't know. Sirius said you've been marked because Uncle Mark and Aunt Michelle openly defended Sirius and my mum, and even supported the muggleborn rights thing at the Ministry of Magic."_

_ "The campaign? But it's a good thing that they're helping resolve the prejudice. What are they marked for that would need protection?"_

_ Tonks shrugged. "I don't know. Sirius didn't talk loud enough."_

_ "Nymphadora! It's time to go home sweetie!" Andromeda called and the door to Alexis' room opened again. In walked a tall woman with soft, mousy brown hair and warm, friendly features. "Good night Alexis, be safe," Andromeda smiled and waved to her niece as she took her daughter's hand._

_ "Find out for me," Alexis mouthed silently as she waved to Tonks._

_ "You got it cuz," Tonks replied silently as well with a grin and a thumbs up._

_ After Tonks left, her mother and father had tucked her to bed as well. It'd been the same several nights in, Andromeda and Tonks would visit for most of the day, and at night Sirius would come to spend time with her mum and dad. Alexis didn't understand why Andromeda and Sirius had to 'protect' them. She wondered what sort of danger they were in. Like Tonks said, all they were doing was helping resolve the prejudice towards muggleborn witches and wizards. There was nothing wrong in that at all._

_ In the middle of the night when the air was still and the night sang its song, Alexis was suddenly woken up by loud noises, voices, arguing loudly. She rolled out of bed lazily, having not being used to getting up in the middle of her sleep at all. She crept slowly towards her door, leaning against it as she tried to listen in on what was happening. Her parents never argue, so why were their loud voices arguing with one another._

_ "…you filthy blood traitor! Take back what you just said!" she heard an unfamiliar voice of a woman speak loudly._

_ "Bella what are you even doing here?" Alexis heard her father's voice sound, exasperated. "I'm doing what I'm doing because I feel that it's right. Now go back to your other Death Eater friends and take these two with you. Servants of Voldemort are not welcomed in this house," he father spoke loudly as well, but not screaming._

_ She listened closer and Alexis could hear her mother's hushed voice, speaking softly to her dad about something. Her mother spoke so soft she couldn't hear. After a while, the voices continued going back and forth. They were arguing about something, something involving servants, Dark Mark, traitors, and a man named Voldemort. Alexis wondered what kind of name was that. Why can't the man be named Bob or Tom or something?_

_ "Enough talk Bella," she heard a rough and scratchy voice speak. "Don't give them any more chances. Do what you're sent here to do."_

_ "Give them some time Antonin," another male voice spoke. This voice was low and dry, sounding almost monotone with slight indifference. "Bella here is giving her pureblooded family a second chance. Don't rush her."_

_ "We don't need any bloody chances!" Alexis heard her father scream and suddenly, some loud noises were heard again, bangs, sounding like gunshot and broken furniture._

_ "Get out!" Alexis heard her mother hiss and immediately Alexis swung the door open and ran downstairs. She had no idea what in the world was going on, but she knew by the sound of her parents' voice that it wasn't going to be good._

_ "Michelle!" her dad yelled and Alexis stumbled in the middle of the second landing hallway. She groaned and pushed herself back up again, not even bothering to rub her bruised leg. "So this was what you're sent to do," she heard her father laugh. "Then you might as well finish it!" he shrieked._

_ "Marcus…" the woman who was supposedly named Bella spoke. "Avada Kedavra!"_

_ She got to the stairs and stumbled down, falling down half the steps in a way she was sure even clumsy Tonks couldn't pull off, and Alexis ended up skipping the last three steps, landing on her knees again as she turned and sprinted into the living room. There she made it just in time to see her father fall to the ground beside her mother, the light, the life leaving his eyes. Her heart was racing and when she saw both her parents on the ground, lifeless and in an eternal slumber that they'll never wake up from, anger and rage boiled inside her, melding in with the already overflowing confusion. She wanted to know what the hell was going on, why her parents were killed, and who this woman named Bella was._

_ "You bitch!" Alexis shrieked, tears filling her eyes as she spotted the only woman standing there. She was standing beside two masked men, all dressed in long black robes. The woman was tall with thick black curly hair. Her facial features were shockingly close to Andromeda Tonks' and Alexis had to take a second look to make sure it wasn't her beloved aunt who stood there. This woman was different however, there was an aura of fear and command to her, and she had very dark, bagged eyes and a strong, strong jaw. "You killed them! Why did you kill them?" Alexis continued to ball in utter confusion and rage. She couldn't even control what she was doing. All she knew was that she suddenly picked up her father's wand, a long, black wand with silver etchings on the handle that later would become hers in years to come. She pointed the wand at the woman in defense. She only planned on possibly stabbing the woman with it. After all, she didn't know any spells. But suddenly, from the tip of the wand a jet of red light suddenly shot out from it, a spell she didn't know and possibly casted unconsciously. The spell surprised the woman who now just realized there was a little girl in the room. Alexis watched in surprise as the woman suddenly doubled over in pain, shrieking, but only for an instant. A darker side of Alexis wished the pain had lasted longer for the woman who'd just killed her parents. Alexis stood there, facing the three people, shaking in fear._

_ "That little brat," a man to Bella's right spat, the man with the rough, scratchy voice._

_ "Hold it Dolohov," the man with a low and dry monotone voice spoke up._

_ "Who are you?" the woman named Bella asked with confusion._

_ Alexis looked in the eyes of that woman, her hands trembling as her body shook with rage. She hated being so little, so helpless. She didn't dare take another glimpse at her parents, lying dead beside her. Her mother's exotic and beautiful face and her father's darkly handsome but kind and caring face were now empty looks of death. Alexis stared at the woman, the one named Bella. The woman had a slight look of warmth and regret in her eyes, hiding deep behind that dark look of evil and cruelty._

_ "Alexis Black," Alexis spitted through clenched teeth._

_ "She's Marcus' daughter," the woman suddenly spoke in a softer, almost teary tone._

_ "Bella let's go," the man with the low and dry voice spoke._

_ "They had a daughter," the woman spoke again softly, about to take a step forward before she was suddenly yanked back by the one man on her left with a mask hiding his face._

_ "Control yourself," the man on her left spoke but the woman wouldn't listen._

_ She took another step forward and Alexis backed away in fear and anger. She wished the wand would fire another spell, but looking into the woman named Bella's eyes, Alexis swore she saw a trace of regret, a trace of pain and sadness, hidden very deeply behind that look of evil and cruelty. She tightened her jaw and glared at the woman with mixed emotions._

_ "Look at me," the man spoke in a calm, cold and dry voice with underlying emotions._

_ Bella finally turned to him. "They had a daughter I never knew about."_

_ "The Dark Lord doesn't know about this brat," the other man spoke to her in a rough voice. "Let's kill her too, eliminate the roots," he spat as Alexis saw him draw his wand._

_ Suddenly, before that masked man could do anything, they all suddenly heard the sound of a fire starting abruptly, sounding like a small gust of wind. Her chimney suddenly exploded in a sea of green flames and Alexis turned around to see the face of Sirius Black, grabbing another handful of floo powder as he reached out with his other hand and grabbed her. She'd never seen someone throw floo powder faster in her entire life. One minute she saw the group of three people dressed in black, two masked men and a woman who killed her parents, and the next minute she was standing in Andromeda Tonks' living room, surrounded by her small, indirect family, all with tears and worry in their eyes._

_ "That was close," Sirius breathed, falling out of the chimney with ash all over him._

_ "Mark and Michelle?" Andromeda asked barely above a whisper._

_ Sirius shook his head and it was that moment of realization that Alexis wanted to drop to her knees and scream. But she couldn't. She watched as Andromeda fell down into her threadbare armchair, Ted coming up behind her with Tonks in his hand as he patted his wife's shoulder. Alexis saw tears leave Andromeda's eyes, one of the few times she saw the woman cry._

_ "Sirius…who's Bella?" Alexis managed to ask barely above a whisper._

_ The look on Andromeda and Sirius' faces suddenly grew darker, grimmer, depressed. Sirius didn't answer her. Instead he closed his eyes and hugged her tightly, something she needed at the moment. It was Andromeda who spoke the harsh and awful truth._

_ "Bella…was my sister…your father's little sister as well," the woman spoke and Alexis finally realized why the two women looked so similar "Her name is Bellatrix Lestrange."_

Her eyes were blurry and she looked away from the picture, forcing herself to not think any more as she blinked back the tears. It was then that she truly felt cold and alone. The memories of that night are one that she would remember, every single detail, up until the day she died. She would never forget that look in Bellatrix's eyes. Once, Alexis had thought that the evil, sadistic witch actually had a sense of regret. She once thought that there had been more to the story, why Bellatrix suddenly seemed so pained when she realized that Marcus and Michelle Black had a daughter, her niece. But from what she and the public knew, Bellatrix was Voldemort's most loyal servant, insane, sadistic, and cruel. Alexis pulled tighter on her thin, navy blue khaki jacket as she huffed. She could see her own breath and she could feel that even her insides were growing cold. After a while, she glanced back at the picture.

"Happy birthday dad. I miss you both," she sighed, much like her own mother.

Suddenly, she felt someone's robes over her, a warm and large winter cloak. She turned to see the innocent, grinning face of George Weasley and his comforting hazel brown eyes. "You've got to be mad sitting out here in the cold," George smiled, sitting down beside her in only a jumper, trousers, and uniform vest. "It's bloody freezing."

"Sorry, you must be very cold," she replied, handing him his cloak.

"No, no," he replied. "Alright we'll share it," George smiled, wrapping the cloak around them both as his shoulder rubbed against hers and shared their warmth. "You know Lexi you have a knack for randomly disappearing. Marrick's all over the castle looking for you but I knew you'd be here, under this tree."

She smiled at him. "I guess I'd better find a new hiding place."

"I'll always find you," George winked. "You eyes are red, were you crying?"

"No," she lied. "Do I have the pleasure of talking to a sentimental George Weasley tonight?" she tried to smile, wondering how he will always find her.

"I guess you do. Now please tell me what's wrong."

For some reason she always felt comfortable around George Weasley. Maybe it was because of his kind and very carefree nature that eased her, just like Tonks and Sirius. "Well nothing's wrong really," she sighed. "It's my dad's birthday. I just miss him, and my mum."

George's face showed her warmth and compassion as he placed a comforting arm on her shoulder. "I'll never understand you," he admitted, unlike the others who try to say they do. "But I know what it feels like to be afraid to show others your true feelings. Fred and I, we're just like everyone else. We worry. We stress. We're afraid. I know how it feels to hide everything behind a grin, a smirk," he told her. "But sometimes, it's ok to admit your feelings. You shouldn't be alone while missing your parents like this. You should be with your friends and family, to remind you you're not alone. I've got Fred. You've got Tonks. And you've got me as well."

She managed a wan smile. "Thank you George."

"Now come on. Reckon some mischief would make you laugh again. Want to trick Filch into eating some puking pastilles?" he grinned.

Alexis remembered puking pastilles as one of Fred and George's brilliant inventions that causes one to vomit and they were rather amusing. She chuckled softly and managed to grin. "Goodbye sentimental George. But yes, let's wreak havoc."

He grinned as they stood up from under the tree. George was quiet for a moment, mesmerized by her smile. He cleared his throat subtly, forcing himself to turn away from her entrancing dark eyes. Alexis swore she saw him blush for a moment, but dismissed it as the cold making his cheeks pink. "And happy birthday to Lexi's dad."

She giggled at his carefree nature.

"We better go before Marrick flips the whole school upside down looking for you," he grinned brilliantly. "He's a very worried bloke but good to have around. Though I reckon, it would be rather amusing if the whole school was upside down," George rambled innocently as Lexi continued to giggle. "Yes, let's hide from Marrick a little longer then."

* * *

><p>They've been looking for hours. It was so late that Tonks doesn't even know what the time was anymore. All she knew was that the dungeon was dark and cold. No wonder Severus Snape was the dreariest man alive. He lived in the dungeon for most of the year. Remus' brown hair was disheveled as he followed Tonks, trying to catch a rat all night. They crawled out from under a table in the potions classroom and Remus heaved a heavy sigh looking up at her.<p>

"Well we've looked everywhere. Reckon we should head back now. It's late and you're tired," he spoke, sighing heavily.

"I guess," Tonks replied, disappointed.

"We'll find him Tonks. Even Dumbledore helped us by sealing off Hogwarts."

"I just hope we'll find him soon," she spoke as they began to head out of the classroom. When she opened the door, she suddenly saw Rookwood, his wand lighting up his long face as he was patrolling the school. Tonks turned back and closed the door immediately. Rookwood wasn't under the Ghost necklace because Moody took them all, and neither was she. "Bloody hell," she breathed, rushing around the room, looking for another way out.

"Nymphadora, what's wrong?"

"Damn. There are no other ways out of here."

"Not that I know of, no," Remus replied. "Tonks, what's wrong?" he asked again.

"It's Rookwood, he's patrolling," she replied quickly. "I'll be in big trouble. It's not my shift and if Moody finds out I'm roaming when I'm not supposed to, the paranoid old codger's going to badger me with questions. But there's only one way out and Rookwood's coming."

Remus and Tonks both ran around the potions classroom, trying to find some place out or to hide, all while making as little noise as possible. They paused for a moment and in the dead of night they could hear Rookwood's wary footsteps as he came closer to the dark classroom. They searched again as Tonks shoved away her locator, out of sight. She turned back to Remus, walking over to him. Suddenly, Tonks' clumsiness got the better of her at that second and she tripped. Immediately, despite his weariness, Remus jumped forward to catch her.

Tired and worn by his pre-moon symptoms, Remus lost his footing and fell as she landed on top of him. "Well at least I broke your fall," Remus smiled.

"Sorry Remus," she sighed. "I swear my clumsiness will be the death of me."

Tonks was flustered as she laid in an awkward position on top of Remus. Her heart, she could feel it beating very fast, racing faster and faster. Tonks could feel Remus' heartbeat as well and it surprised her when his heart was racing just as fast as hers. Their cheeks were blushing mad and Tonks felt her body heat rise. Remus' eyes were looking into hers and soon Tonks got herself lost in his. Their eyes were locked and they were still in that awkward position with Tonks lying on top of him.

They heard the door open and flustered, Tonks pushed herself up quickly, her face completely flushed and surprised. Remus had the same expression on his face, still blushing mad as they stared back at Augustus Rookwood who wore a very amused look on his face.

"Um…nothing's going on," Tonks spoke, searching for an excuse to give if Rookwood decided to question why she and Professor Lupin were sneaking around at night.

"I can see that," the Unspeakable replied, looking like he was struggling not to laugh. "Well I'll leave you and Professor Lupin alone. Don't make too much of a mess, you _are_ in a school classroom you know." After he spoke, he let out a laugh as he turned around and even closed the door for them, no further questions asked.

"What does he mean?" Tonks asked innocently and turned to Remus. She had expected to be badgered with questions on why she was roaming when it wasn't her shift. She had expected Rookwood to tell her he'll be reporting her to Mad-Eye. What she hadn't expected was for him to laugh and turn around without any questions, even closing the door for them.

"It appears…that he thinks we were up to something…naughty…" Remus sighed.

"Something naughty? What in Merlin…" Tonks blushed intensely.

They sat in awkward silence for a long while, Remus and Tonks trying to calm themselves down as they shyly avoided each other's eyes. Tonks had never felt so odd around Remus, but her heart was still racing just as fast as the moment before. Tonks briefly wondered if she felt genuine love with Remus Lupin but quickly dismissed it as a silly crush. Remus Lupin would never like someone like her.

"Um…I think we should be going now," Remus spoke, his cheeks still flushed.

"Y…yeah," Tonks nodded, stumbling back onto her feet.

Both were headed to the third floor, Remus' office being on that floor and Tonks' sleeping area was there as well. For a moment they walked in total silence. When they reached the second floor, Tonks noticed Remus suddenly stop beside the large, open window, his eyes gazing at the pale, silver moon that was nearing full.

"You can go on without me. I reckon you're tired."

"No it's fine, I want to stay for a little bit longer," Tonks replied softly.

Standing beside Remus, she looked up at the moon longingly. Tonks wondered how Remus usually spent the full moon, when she wasn't there. Seeing him transform, she knew that every month he had to endure such agonizing pain.

"The moon isn't as lonely as I remembered it to be," Remus suddenly spoke beside her.

"The full moon is in a few days."

"Yes. But this month, I don't feel as alone as before," he smiled wanly.

"Because of Sirius?" Tonks asked, standing close by him.

"Well yes, because of Sirius. But because of you as well. You're my friend Nymphadora, thank you. Oh and Alexis. She doesn't judge or fear me. I am forever grateful to all of you."

"You won't be alone anymore Remus. You'll always have us."

"Just like how I had the Marauders," he spoke, thinking about Sirius, James, and Peter.

"Yes. But none of us will leave you, or betray you," Tonks promised him, placing a hand on his shoulder as they stood there, gazing at the moon and the stars in the sky.

"It's snowing," Remus smiled as soft, white snow began to fall from the heavens. "It snowed much earlier than last year."

"You better bring a blanket for this month's moon then," Tonks sighed, looking at him with soft, gentle eyes. "It was already freezing last month. Maybe two blankets would work," she smiled. Standing there before him, Tonks felt a surge of emotions. She didn't know why she felt that way or why she felt so much, she just did. Tonks had deemed her feelings as a silly crush, but maybe it was a bit more than that.

"Thank you Nymphadora," he smiled.

There was something about the way he said her name that made her like it. His voice was soft and gentle. Being around him made her warmer, happier. She soon was acting on her emotions as Tonks took slow and small steps towards Remus. He stood still, quietly looking at her. Tonks stood on her tiptoes as she held his face gently with one hand. Her emotions were on free reigns as Tonks leaned in and placed a very soft, very gentle kiss on his cheeks. Much to her delight, Remus didn't resist.

"Remus, be safe. I'll come see you in the morning after the moon. There will be a Quidditch match that day so I'd watch from the window. Good night Remus." Tonks' voice was soft and comforting. She turned and walked away before Remus could reply.

"Thank you…Nymphadora Tonks…" he spoke softly to himself, placing his fingers on the spot where she'd just kiss him on his cheek.

As he watched her leave, there was a strong part of him wanting to run after her and hold her back. A very strong part of him wanted to kiss her lips. But Remus knew he should. He knew a woman that brilliant, a woman that wonder, deserved someone so much better. He only wished that he could be that someone. But he was still grateful. With her appearance in his life, he suddenly saw light and felt hopeful again. The vibrant bubblegum pink lit up his dreary world and her contagious smile made him smile as well. When Nymphadora Tonks showed up in his life, things became odd, thinks changed, and things got better. Remus sighed as Tonks disappeared up the stairs, stumbling a slight bit. Remus Lupin had never been in love, but he knew that the feelings he had for Tonks was love. He wasn't in danger of falling for Nymphadora Tonks. He'd already fallen.


	12. He, Harry Potter's Godfather

**Author's Note:**

Ah I didn't really know what to do for one part of this chapter so I just winged it, I hope you don't mind. See, I want Harry to still find out that Sirius was his godfather before meeting the man, but I didn't want him to see Tonks, Remus, and Alexis. I hope it's written alright ^_^ Thank you for reading and please review! Thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12 – He, Harry Potter's Godfather<strong>

On the day of the full moon, Tonks found it harder than anything to focus. Even her morph had slipped several times throughout the day. During her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Alexis who had gotten her tools back from Moody decided to stay in class with Tonks to remind her about her morph. She was concealed under the Ghost Necklace and relaxing on the bookshelves beside Tonks' desk rather than patrol the school since Marrick was already patrolling the grounds. Tonks yawned and rested her head on the desk, remembering that Remus had told her Snape would be covering his class and she wanted to vomit.

"Hey cuz, your hair's slipping to green," Alexis pointed out as she made herself comfortable and trying to taunt the grindylow but to no avail because it couldn't see her.

Tonks groaned but discreetly morphed her hair back to a brilliant pink.

"Bloody hell," Alexis suddenly spoke which caused Tonks to look up. "It's Snape."

Severus Snape glided into the room, his black cloak billowing behind him, his wand raised as he nonverbally shut all the windows and door. He pulled down the white screen with a flick of his wand and tapped the projector to turn it on. Then the man turned around and practically sneered at the entire class while saying, "Turn to page three hundred and ninety four."

Tonks glared at him as she began flipping through the pages, purposely turning only one page at a time and making as much noise with the process as possible.

"Excuse me sir but where is Professor Lupin?" Harry asked from behind her.

"It's not really your concern, is it Potter. But if I had to say, your professor finds himself _incapable_ of teaching at the present time," Snape replied dryly in his low, sneering voice. "Turn to page three hundred and ninety four," he repeated again with a firmer voice.

Tonks grumbled as she somehow turned to the right page, realizing that they were learning about werewolves. She growled under her breath and rolled her eyes. Of course Snape would want to teach this lesson on a day where Remus was absent because of a full moon.

"Werewolves?" Ron questioned and began talking but Tonks blocked him out.

"But sir, we've just begun learning about redcaps and hinkypunks. We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for weeks," Hermione spoke, surprising Tonks and Ron as well.

"When did she come in?" Ron asked Harry then Tonks. "Did you see her come in?"

Tonks turned and gave Alexis a questioning glare as her raven haired cousin held up a time turner and pointed to Hermione with three fingers raised, perhaps saying the young witch was taking three extra classes and couldn't fit it in a normal schedule.

"Quiet," Snape sneered.

"Now, who can tell me the difference between an animagus and a werewolf?"

"How bloody ironic," Tonks growled under her breath, thinking about Remus and Sirius.

"Please sir," Hermione spoke up. "An animagus is a wizard who elects to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice. With each full moon when he transforms he no longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if he crosses his path."

Tonks sighed and shook her head while Alexis nodded, "Very ironic indeed."

"That is the second time you've spoken out of turn Miss Granger," Snape sneered, causing Tonks to ball her hand up to a fist, feeling sorry for Hermione. "Are you incapable of restraining yourself or do you take pride in being and _insufferable know-it-all_?"

"_Git_," Tonks thought right when Ron whispered to Harry, "He's got a point you know."

"Five points from Gryffindor. As an antidote to your ignorance and on my desk by Monday morning," Snape continued. "Two rows of parchment on the werewolf with particular emphasis on _recognizing it_."

"That git," Alexis spoke from the bookshelves. "He's basically trying to show the world Remus' condition when placing emphasis on recognizing it. The books are so specific this year, anyone with half a brain could tell that Remus is a werewolf afterwards," she sighed.

The students began to groan while Harry spoke up. "Sir, it's Quidditch tomorrow."

"Stupid, greasy haired git," Tonks grumbled, unable to control herself.

She suddenly looked up to see Severus Snape looming right over her, his eyes looking down at her with obvious malice in them. She returned his glare and could've sworn she growled a little. "If you find this lesson to be a daunting task to sit through, you are welcome to leave Nymphadora. I'm sure Lupin won't mind if you knew a little less about werewolves," Snape spoke in his usual monotone voice.

"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora! Severus," Tonks snapped, standing up at her seat while her hair turned from bright pink to a vivid, fiery red, the color it turns when she gets angry. She'd been worried about Remus enough all day, wondering how bad his pre-moon and post-moon symptoms were and Snape was just outright annoying her.

"Tonks calm down," Hermione whispered.

"Bloody hell Tonks don't make a scene. You're going to get detention and we need as much time as possible to look for Pettigrew," Alexis groaned.

"No," Tonks snapped. "Severus Snape you are a dirty, immature, greasy haired git."

"Shit," Alexis sighed and face palmed her face while speaking along with Severus Snape, knowing what he was going to say to her next. "You've earned detention for the rest of the month," she spoke right when the man spoke in his low dry voice. Alexis shook her head.

Tonks opened her mouth, about to challenge him but hushed immediately when Alexis called, "Nymphadora Tonks!" Though Lexi may not act her age most of the time, she was still older than Tonks and had a level of respect to her.

Tonks cringed at the mentioning of her first name again but couldn't turn to yell at her cousin. She huffed and sat back down in her seat. "Great," she grumbled. Snape ignored her and turned around, continuing his lesson on werewolves and lycanthropy.

"Tonks you are so brave." Hermione whispered.

"She called Snape a dirty, immature, greasy haired git," Ron repeated, impressed.

"Mr. Weasley unless you wish for a month's detention I suggest you be quiet."

"Great, just great," Lexi chimed from beside Tonks. "Way to go my colorfully _reckless_ cousin. Now you'll be serving detention when you could be looking for the traitor Pettigrew."

* * *

><p>On the morning after the full moon, there were a lot of things she was supposed to do then. She was supposed to be patrolling the castle to catch Sirius Black. She was supposed to be at the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Quidditch match to provide further protection to Harry Potter. But she ignored all the things she was supposed to do to meet a promise she made to a certain kind and gentle bookworm professor. The morning was awfully foggy and stormy as it was raining heavily with a raging thunderstorm outside. Tonks walked into the hospital wing, looking for Remus' bed as she smiled at the nice healer and morphed away her greenish tinge and sickly aura she'd used to fool Mad-Eye. He and her cousin Alexis saw through but luckily, the old codger still let her go, feeling generous that stormy morning.<p>

"Madam Pomfrey, how's Remus?" Tonks asked, glancing at the partially closed curtains.

"He's fine, a bit beat up and bloody like normal," she replied. "Though heading back in the storm, he's got himself a slight fever." Tonks nodded and was about to pull the curtain aside to see Remus, until Madam Pomfrey held her back. "Oh and Miss Tonks, since you're an adult and an auror now, please just call me Poppy," she smiled at the young witch.

"Thank you Poppy," Tonks smiled. She pulled the curtains aside and sat carefully on the side of his bed. Remus' eyes were closed and his breathing was soft and hitched. He looked peaceful while some bandages were visible but they didn't look too bad. Tonks couldn't stop herself when she pushed back his fringe and softly said, "Wotcher Remus."

Upon hearing her gentle voice, Remus slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't help but smile at her despite his weariness. Her brilliant bubblegum pink hair was the first thing he saw. Then it was her clairvoyant green eyes, and her brilliant smile. Remus couldn't deny to himself that he could be delighted to see her smiling face every morning, every morning, day, and night. He tried to push himself up but Tonks made him lay back down.

"Good morning Nymphadora," Remus smiled though his voice came out hoarse.

"How was the last moon? You have a fever Remus. I reckon it must have been terrible."

"No, actually it was bearable." He gave her a wan smile.

"What'd you do all night?" she asked, innocently curious.

"I wallowed in depression," Remus joked and Tonks looked worried. He chuckled softly, knowing that she cares. "I'm only joking. Nymphadora thank you for coming to see me."

She smiled. "Call me Nymphadora and I'll shove a whole bottle of Skele-Gro down your throat Remus," she warned but her smile gave her away.

"My apologies Nymphadora," Remus smiled with no sign of remorse.

"You'll never give up on my name, will you?" she mock scowled at him.

"Never. It's an absolutely beautiful name," Remus smiled, all his pain and dizziness forgotten as he watched her roll her eyes, shake her head, but still smile at him.

"I'd hit you," she teased. "But you're already pretty beat up."

"Actually, you can hit me," he smiled. "I'm feeling rather well despite last night's moon. Did you know that I've never smiled and laughed this early after the moon before?"

"No, I didn't know that," she smiled a bit brighter, straightening out his hair. "But if it makes you happy, I'll visit you every morning right after the full moon to make you smile."

"I would be asking for too much. I am already forever grateful that you're my friend."

"Nonsense. I'll come to make sure you're alright every single month from now on."

"_Thank you, Nymphadora_," Remus thought as he smiled and slowly but unwillingly drifted off to sleep. He wanted to see her face a little bit longer. She was so close to him. So close that he could smell her exact scent, an alluring lavender chamomile with violet. He could smell butterbeer on her as well with his increased sense of smell right after the moon. She must've had butterbeer. Her scent lingered in his senses. She smelled like a comforting and warm mixture of lavender and new parchment and fresh ink from her work probably. Remus felt more comfortable and warmer than ever as she stroked his hair gently. His face was right beside her stomach as she sat close to him on the bed. Soon he was too tired and drifted off into sleep, carrying images and memories of her into his dreams.

She was quiet, happily watching as Remus drifted off into a peaceful slumber. It made her smile when she noticed that even in his sleep, Remus was smiling. She slipped into the hospital bed a bit lower as Tonks leaned in and place a gentle kiss on his temple when she was sure he was asleep. The kiss was ever so gentle and soft that he almost couldn't feel it, almost. Her eyes widened when Remus suddenly stirred in his sleep and in his movements wrapped an arm around her, his face closer to her waist. Tonks knew the logical idea was to gently remove his arm and leave while the illogical idea was to lean back on the headboard and savor the bliss. She thought about it and ended up leaning back on the headboard, stroking Remus' face gently. He was asleep anyways and Tonks was never quite logical.

Tonks had never felt such a strong feeling for anyone before. During the bliss of just watching him sleep, she couldn't help but smile to herself the whole time. She was so close to him and the feeling of absolute happiness consumed her. Looking at his face, she felt like she no longer cared about anything else but him.

"I think I may have fallen in love with you Remus," she spoke softly to the quiet air.

After a while, Tonks must've drifted off to sleep as well. She was suddenly woken up by loud voices and noises heading into the hospital wing. She opened her eyes, nearly blinded by the bright sun glistening through the windows. Tonks turned to see the healers gather around someone who looked like Harry Potter along with the Gryffindor Quidditch team, still in their game uniforms, and Ron, Hermione, Marrick, and Lexi all looking soaked from head to toe.

Tonks' eyes fell on her raven haired cousin and Lexi's eyes widened when Hermione was about to turn to Tonks' direction. Luckily, Lexi waved her hand once and used wandless magic to discreetly close the curtains and stop Hermione from seeing Tonks in Remus' arms on the same bed. That would've been a surprise to the brilliant young witch.

"Lexi did you just perform wandless magic?" Hermione asked. "That's really advanced stuff. Even most graduates aren't able to do that so well until later on. And who's in that bed?"

"Oh uh I just practice a lot," Lexi replied. "And my friend is sleeping there. He doesn't like noise," she spoke rather awkwardly, finding a proper excuse.

After a moment, Tonks noticed the curtains move and her heart stopped momentarily until she saw the smirking face of Alexis Black sneak in. Her smirk seemed to have an underlying message that said something like _you-little-weasel_ "Shh," Lexi hushed as she snuck in and sat down at the end of the bed. "I can see you're enjoying yourself. I know you had something going on with Remus. Do us all a favor and close the curtains next time will you?" she whispered, careful so she wasn't heard.

"Hush you," Tonks replied just as quietly. "I just wanted to check on him after the full moon. Then Remus fell asleep and had his arm around me and I could just push him off."

"Yeah, I'll believe that," Lexi nodded, filled with sarcasm. "Come on Tonks, we all know that you would snog him senseless in a heartbeat the first chance you get," Lexi teased as Tonks slapped her arm and blushed. "Unless you already did?" Alexis grinned.

"No! Well, I kissed him on the cheek and temple…but it was just a friendly act."

"I'll say very friendly. I knew there was something going on. That's two kisses and I'll bet there will be a third, then a fourth, then…"

"Nip it Black," Tonks hissed and Lexi grinned at her. "Alexis Lydia Black, I am going to hex you into next week if you don't stop it."

"Oh fine," Lexi sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Why are you here anyways? Did something happen during the match?"

"Dementors. They got into the grounds and Harry got attacked by them during the match," Lexi spoke rather conversationally. "Dumbledore was furious and stormed off right after we saved Harry. Mad-Eye said there had to be at least ten dementors on the kid. Silvia and Kingsley were supposed to be watching them today. Reckon they'll get an earful from Mad-Eye," Lexi explained, careful to keep her voice low under the chatter all over the hospital wing.

"Well what are you doing here talking to me for? You're good with words and bending the rules, go help King and Silvia!" Tonks spoke, kicking her cousin at the foot of the bed.

"Can't. Mad-Eye ordered me and you to watch the kids. You and I are going to have to put on the Ghost Necklace and watch Harry all night. Mad-Eye's orders."

"Alright. Here, give me the necklace and I'll wait for you here. Oh and the Apollo necklace too, for Remus so we can speak to him in case we see Pettigrew."

"Excuses," Lexi teased and rolled her eyes as she handed Tonks both the necklaces from inside her still drenched pockets.

* * *

><p>Late into the night, Tonks sat and talked quietly to Remus at his bedside while watching over a sleeping Harry Potter. Alexis was lying under the blankets of another bed right beside Tonks, asleep as well. Being under the Ghost necklace and having given Remus the Apollo necklace, Tonks could laugh freely without worrying about waking anyone up. Remus had a bright smile on his face, making him look years younger as he leaned back on the head board.<p>

"I'm sorry you had to use a time turner to look for Peter tonight," Remus spoke softly.

"It's alright. Other than being your friend, Sirius is mine and Lexi's cousin too."

"Either way, you must be really tired. You should lie down and rest up too."

"I'll rest when Lexi wakes up. We need someone watching Harry or else Mad-Eye will have our buttocks," Tonks laughed.

"Your buttocks?" Remus asked, laughing softly.

Tonks smiled and rolled her eyes. "When I put my wand in my back pocket earlier, he yelled at me, saying I could lose a buttock," she scoffed. "That old codger's so crazy."

"I'm sure he only wants to make sure his favorite student has both her buttocks intact," Remus teased her playfully.

"Oh I'm sure," she scoffed with sarcasm. "Oh by the way, Lexi and I have noticed that Pettigrew is often in the dungeon these days. Around Snape's office. What's he doing there?"

"Who knows, but I'm guessing we'll have to bother Severus more often now."

"Oh no worries. I've got detention with Snape up until the new year for calling him a couple names during class. Lexi said she'll come with me and look around while I'm there."

Remus opened his mouth, about to ask Tonks what she did that earned herself a month's worth of detention then suddenly Harry stirred awake and Remus and Tonks hushed immediately. They turned to look at the boy as he slowly woke up, searching for his glasses. Once he had his glasses on, he took a sharp, surprised breath when he suddenly saw Remus lying in the hospital bed beside him, looking rather ill and injured.

"Well I guess I'd gasp too if my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was in the hospital bed beside me," Tonks teased and Remus had to force himself not to chuckle.

"Professor Lupin…what are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Ah, I seem to have had a minor accident with the Whomping Willow," he replied easily.

Harry nodded and pushed himself up onto his headboard.

"And I'm sorry to hear about your broomstick Harry," he spoke, remembering hearing from Tonks' grapevine that Harry's beloved Nimbus 2000 had been destroyed by the same tree.

"It's fine," Harry replied in a low voice. He was quiet for a moment but suddenly spoke up. "Professor, why do the dementors affect me so, I mean, more than anyone else?"

Tonks was quiet, watching the boy sympathetically. He's so young and he'd been through so much. She listened carefully as Remus spoke to Harry softly. Remus was always so kind and gentle. With him there was an underlying feeling of comfort. He made others feel comfortable around him, and that was one of the many things Tonks loved about the man.

"Listen," Remus spoke to Harry. "Dementors are amongst the foulest creatures to walk this Earth. They feed on every good feeling, every happy memory, until a person is left with absolutely nothing but his worst experiences." Remus paused momentarily, thinking about Sirius and how unfair and hard it must have been for his friend to have to deal with them for twelve years. He glanced back at Tonks for a moment.

Luckily Tonks was concealed under the Ghost necklace and was practically invisible to Harry. Her hair had turned flaming red and she never felt a stronger desire to simply find Ron's pet rat and squeeze that dirty coward to death, no further questions asked.

"You are not weak Harry," Remus continued again. "The dementors affect you most of all because there are true horrors in your past, horrors you classmates can scarcely imagine." As he spoke, he thought about his own horrors of his past, and Sirius' horrors, and Tonks', and Alexis', the latter three having to deal with the horrors of the infamous Black family, and Remus with his lycanthropy. "You have nothing to be ashamed of," he added, thinking about how burdened Harry must feel, being the boy-who-lived.

"I'm scared professor."

"Well I'd consider you a fool if you weren't."

"I need to know how to fight them," Harry spoke. "You could teach me. You made that dementors on the train go away."

"It was only one that night," Remus reminded him.

"But you made it go away," Harry spoke innocently.

"He needs to learn now to defend himself Remus," Tonks sighed, trying to be of help to the boy. "There would be no harm in teaching him a defensive spell."

"I don't pretend to be an expert Harry," he sighed. "But as the dementors seem to have developed a particular interest in you, perhaps I should teach you," he smiled, glancing discreetly at Tonks who grinned back at him from where she sat beside his bed.

* * *

><p>In early December, everyone had changed their wardrobe from fall to winter. The white snow was covering the ground like a soft white blanket. The cold snow came up to ankles and made the beautiful winter scenery of Hogwarts castle truly a breathtaking sight. Tonks glanced out the snowy window frames as she headed to Remus' office. She was about to knock on his door when it suddenly opened, surprising her.<p>

"Tonks, hey," Harry smiled, walking out with a piece of chocolate. "What's up?"

"Wotcher Harry," she smiled. "Oh and I just have a message for Remus, err I mean Professor Lupin from Professor McGonagall," she answered.

"Alright, see you at dinner Tonks," he smiled brightly and left.

She walked into Remus' tidy and organized office saying, "Wotcher Remus."

"Hello Nymphadora. I didn't expect to see you this early tonight."

"Oh I was about to go to dinner when McGonagall asked me to send you a message. She said there will be a meeting at the Three Broomsticks on the next Hogsmeade trip and she wants you there as well."

"Ah yes, and I suspect it will be about Sirius no doubt."

Tonks nodded. "And what was Harry doing here? Don't tell me you gave him detention."

"Of course not," Remus smiled. "I was teaching him the Patronus Charm."

She smiled and sat down on the corner of his desk. "And how did he do?"

"Very well actually," he smiled, sitting beside her as he broke off a large piece of chocolate and shared it with her. "In fact, he's done so well he managed to conjure up a shield form. Harry is so like James," Remus sighed.

"It must be hard for him. He never even knew his parents."

"Yes, but once things are resolved, he'll have Sirius. Did you know that James and Lily made Sirius Harry's godfather?" Remus smiled as she ate the chocolate and shook her head, seeming amused that her once bumbling and silly cousin Sirius Black was indeed, Harry Potter's godfather. "Well Sirius is still his godfather up until now. Lily at first objected to the idea because it was Sirius we're talking about and you remember how he used to be I'm guessing," Remus laughed as she nodded too many times. "But they still went with him anyways."

"He, Harry Potter's godfather?" Tonks laughed as Remus nodded again.

* * *

><p>Snow was falling softly from the sky, thickening the already heavy blanket of white soft ice on the ground. The scenery was white like a winter wonderland and the small town of Hogsmeade looked like that out of a winter fairy tale. Mirthful laughter could be heard as children ran down the streets, grinning broadly. Snowballs flew innocently through the air and even adults were laughing as they ducked out of the way. Winter came early that year and somehow, looking up at the sky, it wasn't as frosty as last year's winter.<p>

In the blinding white horizon, her dark brown almost black eyes could see the lonely house that was the Shrieking Shack. Several days ago Alexis had told Sirius to seek shelter in there during the winter. From where she stood, she could see the fire burning inside the run down house. She sighed. Her cousin was safe for another day.

"That sigh is a little too wistful to be from Alexis Black," Marrick's deep voice came from behind her as she turned to meet his charming grin and dusty emerald eyes. His nose was turning red from the cold. He was bundled in a heavy leather jacket, a black and white scarf.

She laughed. "And it's not like Marrick Kingston to sneak up on people like that." She breathed a visible breath while pulling her black winter robes tighter around herself.

"You wear so little. If you catch a cold Moody will flip," he smiled, giving her his scarf.

"Oh I'm sure Mad-Eye won't be the only one to flip," she teased.

"The Shrieking Shack, I feel there's something dangerous in there."

"I'm sure there's nothing dangerous in there. Otherwise, Tonks wouldn't have been able to come back unscathed," she breathed softly, wondering if Sirius was cold or lonely.

"Alright," he nodded. "So what have you been up to?"

"I haven't been up to anything," she grinned, snuggling with his scarf around her neck.

"Really? Sneaking around the castle at night, tinkering with all the tools," he began. "You're the only Unspeakable clever enough to mess with all the tools and not get caught."

"I'm surprised Marrick, that you haven't told anyone once you realized that."

He shrugged. "I don't know if it's the Confidant Charm you placed on me or something else, but I trust you enough to not foil your plans. I know you and Tonks are up to something. I just hope that whatever it is, you don't get ruined for it. I know you. There's a reason to why you do everything. And this reason, I hope it's a very good one."

Gazing at him, she couldn't help but smile and she didn't know why. "You know me pretty well. Thanks for trusting me. I do have a reason, a very, very good one."

"Just be careful. I do not wish to visit you in Azkaban."

"Got it. Don't worry. I'm smart enough not to get caught." She smiled as she began walking away slowly. "We better get going to the meeting at the Three Broomsticks."

He suddenly held her back, turning her around to face him. "For god's sake, bundle up," he smiled, tightening his scarf on her neck that had gotten loose.

When Marrick looked up, he was caught in her entrancing, glossy eyes as she smiled. He felt his own smile appear and moved closer to her, acting on impulse and emotions. She didn't resist as he moved closer, his lips an inch away from her full red ones. Together and in peaceful silence, they closed the tiny distance between them. He kissed her shyly at first but his confidence grew and grew. He'd known her for so long, more than a decade. And for more than a decade, he'd secretly wanted to place a kiss upon her lips. After so long, he finally could.

She smelled like the sweet scent of perfume roses and her soft lips tasted like a mix of butterbeer and firewhiskey. As he kissed her he could smell parchment and metal from her work. And despite it being winter, he could feel the sweet scent of a faint autumn breeze on her. She was the first to pull away but she did so slowly, hesitantly almost.

"That was a longing kiss," she spoke. Alexis had kissed many guys and she soon could sense their feelings through the kiss. His was a longing, yearning kiss that felt like it should have happened between them years ago.

He blushed like a flustered school boy. "I've uh…wanted to do that since second year."

Again, she couldn't help but smile. "Why were we mortal enemies throughout school?"

"You kept bending and breaking the rules. I didn't want you to get in trouble. And I guess over the years we kind of just kept bickering."

"But you kept opposing me and ruining my brilliant plans."

"Because I only worry about you."

They gave each other silent smiles for a moment. After the silence, Alexis smirked as she linked her arms into his. "Come on, we'll be late to the meeting. I don't know about you but I don't feel like being nagged at by Mad-Eye. And I don't want _constant vigilance_ screamed in my face." They laughed together as they treaded back through the thick snow.

* * *

><p>Usually she loved winter because winter meant nights by the warm, blazing fire with sentimental thoughts, snowball fights, and the mirthful holiday season. But there was one thing Nymphadora Tonks hated about the season as well, and that was the ice. Tonks flailed her arms like mad trying to catch herself as she slipped on ice and was falling face first to the snowy ground. Luckily, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and held her close, keeping her from falling. The arm pulled her up and she was looking into the gentle and warm blue eyes of Remus Lupin's kind and comforting face. His lopsided grin was wolfish but warm.<p>

"Be careful Nymphadora," he chuckled.

"Can my Christmas present be that you not call me by that dreadful name?" she teased.

"I'm afraid not," Remus smiled.

In the early December snow that year, Remus would never have imagined to be able to roam around the streets with a beautiful young witch with brilliant pink hair. She was his friend. Just friends, that's what they were, because he was afraid to burden her. She deserved better. No matter, on that day he smiled, unrestrained, with his close friend, Nymphadora.

"Oh bugger," Tonks spoke, trying to untangle her large necklace from his shabby winter robes and scarf. Tonks was shivering in her own robes in many shades of violet. She was careful to pull her troublesome necklace out of his patched scarf as Remus laughed softly, his hands pulling her robes tighter around her body.

"Let me help," he smiled, taking her gloved hands as he carefully untangled the necklace.

"Thank you Remus. Bloody necklace," Tonks sighed as she turned around. She suddenly saw a large snowball coming her way. Unlike her auror self, she let out a small scream while instinctively turning back to Remus, burying her head into his warm chest.

Tonks froze for a moment when she realized the only thing separating her face from his warm but heavily scarred chest was his shabby but ironed jumper under his cardigan and patched threadbare winter robes. Being so close to him, Tonks could smell the sweet scent of chocolate. She could smell a musky scent from all the books he read as well as a faint trace of spring water despite it being winter. Being drowned in his scent, she could clearly remember that he smelled like chocolate mixed with old parchment and dried ink. There was something warm and comforting about that scent, his scent.

As she reluctantly pulled away from being so close to him, Remus felt a longing within him to pull her back and hold her so they could both feel a little bit warmer. But Remus held himself back because after all they were only friends and will forever be only friends. He laughed while watching Tonks turn back to the person who threw that snowball, her cousin, Alexis Black. The young woman had her arm on Marrick's shoulder, laughing loudly at Tonks.

"Lexi I really hate you!" Tonks yelled while her hair was a shade between pink and red.

"Hey, I was only looking out for you. What if the kids saw?" Alexis laughed and Remus felt himself blush. She was a lot like her cousin Sirius Black, more than she realized.

"Another word Alexis Lydia Black and I'll hex you into next week!"

"Oh I'm so scared Nymphadora," Lexi laughed, running into Madam Rosmerta as she ran away from Tonks. "Sorry Rosmerta," she laughed like a schoolgirl.

"My, my Alexis, how come your cousin is always trying to hex you?" the woman laughed, remembering the two girls from their days at Hogwarts. Tonks and Lexi grinned at her as Remus and Marrick gathered at the door of the Three Broomsticks. "Oh Remus! I haven't seen you in forever!" she greeted gleefully. "And Marrick too, charming as ever. Now Tonks, Alexis, do you have any gossip with you? I've been dying for some news."

"Unspeakable here, doesn't anyone remember?" Lexi teased.

"Oh but that's never stopped you before. Are you waiting for someone Rosmerta?"

"Cornelius Fudge himself," the woman replied. "And Minerva. Kingsley and Silvia are already inside. You better go in. Ah, here they come."

Quickly, Tonks, Remus, Alexis, and Marrick made their way into the Three Broomsticks and the room they were to have their meeting. Kingsley and Silvia were in the middle of an animated conversation as they turned to them and smiled. Tonks noticed the absence of her paranoid mentor. Usually he would always be the first to come.

"Where's Mad-Eye?" she asked, sitting down with Remus and Marrick by the fire.

"Alastor said he'll be meeting with Dumbledore," Kingsley answered in his deep, reassuring voice. "It's just us, Fudge, and Minerva I'm guessing."

The door opened and in walked Madam Rosmerta, Fudge, and McGonagall, talking quickly like gossiping school girls. The door closed behind them and Alexis immediately came up to Rosmerta with a bottle of firewhiskey she found on the shelves. "For me? Please? Free of charge?" she grinned childishly, her love for alcohol showing through.

"You may have it if you all tell me what this is all about," Rosmerta replied. "Why is Sirius Black in Hogsmeade and what does Harry Potter have anything to do with it?"

Tonks noticed the door suddenly open but saw no one walking in. She nudged Remus and Alexis who seemed to be the only ones who noticed as well. "Who do you think it is?"

"Someone who either can disillusion themselves pretty well or has an invisibility cloak, and also wants to hear this story about Sirius's imprisonment," Alexis whispered back.

"James had an invisibility cloak he no doubt left for Harry," Remus whispered.

"Do you think it's him? How'd he get out of the castle?"

"Invisibility cloak Tonks. Merlin you're so thick sometimes," Alexis sighed.

"Well perform a memory charm on him Lexi. He can't know we're here or our cover would be blown," Tonks whispered, nudging her cousin.

"Yeah, about that. See I never was quite good at memory charms."

"I am," Remus replied. "But I'm afraid I'm not permitted to perform a full one on him without proper authorizations. I can only make him think that we aren't here, but whatever memory he hears from the others, he'll remember."

"Well do it. At least our cover won't be blown and let's hope no one says our names."

Tonks and Lexi watched as Remus snuck out his wand and hid it behind Tonks' back, carefully placing a non-verbal memory charm on the invisible person eavesdropping in their conversation. He had a good feeling it was Harry, and Remus wondered just how much the boy would find out with all these people here. Meanwhile, Alexis and Tonks turned back to the conversation as Rosmerta continued badgering Fudge with questions.

"He's not going to tell her everything." Alexis whispered.

"Years ago, when Harry Potter's parents realized they were marked for death, they went into hiding. Few knew where they were. One who did was Sirius Black," Fudge spoke. Remus tucked his wand away and tensed, knowing the story was all a lie but he must keep himself calm. They all saw and believed what Peter wanted them to, and until they could prove Sirius innocent, Remus had to feign innocence. Tonks rolled her eyes. He was Fudge after all and there was a reason why she and Alexis consider him a joke of a Minister.

"I stand corrected," Alexis sighed and Kingsley shot her and amused glance.

"Sirius Black? Wasn't he friends with James and Lily Potter?" Rosmerta asked.

"Yes, and he told You-Know-Who their location," McGonagall added.

It was like a story telling session. Tonks continued to roll her eyes and forced herself to be quiet much like Remus and Alexis were doing. "I thought we were having a meeting," Tonks whispered to Lexi but Kingsley heard as well and the black wizard shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Not only did Black lead You-Know-Who to the Potters that night but he also killed one of their friends, Peter Pettigrew, little lump of a boy," Fudge spoke.

Tonks noticed a muscle in Remus' jaw jump at the mentioning and could only pat his hand in a comforting gesture while waiting quietly for the real meeting to start.

"Now, you are all probably wondering why we are here," McGonagall finally spoke.

"Yes Minerva," Kingsley replied for them all.

"As you know, Sirius Black destroyed Peter Pettigrew leaving only a finger behind. A finger," Fudge spoke and Tonks had to bite her lips to hold back the feeling of injustice.

"Yes, and?" Silvia asked, growing annoyed.

"It proves that Sirius Black is highly dangerous being capable of doing such," Fudge continued. "We want the team of aurors at Hogwarts to make protecting Harry Potter their top priority and we will have to wait until spring to launch the entire auror department into this investigation. Then we will be able to catch Black."

"But why Minister?" Kingsley asked. "We're doing fine protecting the boy and looking for Black as it is right now."

"Yes but I want Harry Potter's safety to be above all because when the boy was born, James and Lily Potter made Sirius Black Harry Potter's godfather and until this day, he still is. We have reasons to believe that Harry Potter may be in more danger than ever."

"Please, we can each be more dangerous than Sirius," Alexis scoffed quietly.

"Black, Harry Potter's godfather?" Marrick asked in bemused disbelief.

Tonks' eyes shot towards the door and she saw it open and slam shut again. She turned to see Lexi and Remus, realizing what might have just happened. "I wonder how he'll take it. He doesn't know the truth. Should we tell him?" she whispered.

"We've still got no solid evidence," Alexis replied. "Now when is this bloody so called meeting going to end? I've had it about up to here with Fudge."

After an hour long discussion on why their top priority was now to protect Harry Potter, and how when spring came, the entire auror department would be scheduled to capture Sirius, the so called meeting was finally done. Of all people, Tonks knew that once spring came, Sirius was basically a dead man, with the entire department of aurors looking for him. She was getting worried and luckily the meeting was over as it became a daunting task to sit through it and feign innocence in the whole ordeal. Tonks was sitting alone with Remus and Alexis at a quiet corner in the Three Broomsticks where they won't be intruded upon.

"What do we do about Harry? He thinks Padfoot was the traitor," Tonks spoke.

"We could just straight out tell him can't we? Tell him that Padfoot isn't the traitor that Peter Pettigrew was and those people only saw and believed what he wanted them to. Then we can make Ron find that dirty little rat and we can squish him to death or turn him back into a human and prove Sirius' innocence," Alexis suggested.

"Harry won't believe it," Remus shook his head, understanding the boy. "He won't believe us until we do catch Peter. And wouldn't it be bad if you two suddenly tell him you knew all about this after we've charmed his memory so that he thinks you weren't there at all? Harry would feel betrayed and it would be even harder for him to believe us," Remus sighed.

"Too bad we're not allowed to use full memory charms on him without getting arrested."

"You should've become an Obliviator Tonks," Alexis sighed.

"Nip it Black," Tonks mock scowled at her cousin. "Now what do you suggest we do?"

"I think that we should just focus on catching Peter right now. Padfoot will be safe at the Shrieking Shack for the moment, at least until spring when they send the whole auror taskforce on him," Remus sighed, looking at them with worry in his eyes.

"So we have till spring," Alexis pointed out. "Remus, you usually transform in the Shrieking Shack right?" she asked and Remus nodded. "That means Albus Dumbledore must have left that part open in his large confinement barrier. If Pettigrew wants to get out of the castle, he'll have to make his way to the shack and get out through there. It would only be a matter of time before he remembers about the shack and reaches it."

"But the Whomping Willow will stop him right?"

"He's a rat Tonks," Lexi pointed out. "He's quite small."

"Padfoot is at the shack right now," Remus spoke. "He'll be able to keep an eye on the path in case Peter tries to escape through there. But right now he's still hanging around in the dungeon according to you two girls, so we have until he realizes he could still get out through the shack to catch him, and we have until spring comes."

"We could always extend the barrier ourselves from Hogwarts ground out to the shack."

"But in case Mad-Eye finds Padfoot, he won't be able to escape," Tonks spoke. "Besides, how are we going to hold up a barrier for that long? It will drain out all our energy."

"Padfoot could keep an eye on the exit for now," Remus told them. "For now, while Peter is still inside the castle, we should use that chance to catch him."

Tonks noticed that Alexis had a look on her face that said she was deep in thought. Her raven haired cousin was stroking the side of her cheekbone as she thought deeply about something, resembling Sirius and the rest of the Black family more than she cared to admit. She turned away from Alexis for a moment and spoke with Remus.

"What about Harry? Though the memory charm made him think we weren't there, he still knows that Sirius is his godfather. What if he asks questions?"

"The best thing to do I guess, is to feign innocence for now," Remus sighed. "Until we are caught red handed, we're supposed to still believe Padfoot is a homicidal murderer.

"You think feigning innocence will work?" Tonks asked, glancing at Lexi who was still lost in her own thoughts.

"It will have to do for now," Remus replied. "We could worry about nothing else but catching Peter before spring comes. We will have time to explain everything to Harry later."

Tonks nodded. "What's on your mind Lexi? You're making that face again."

"Am I the only one who finds it weird that Pettigrew is hanging around in the dungeon, when in school, he too hated Snape's guts? Why would he hang around some place where one of his enemies would be found?"

"Maybe he thinks that because it's Snape, we won't look there as often," Tonks mused.

"It doesn't seem that simple," Lexi spoke, staring at her empty wine glass.

Remus leaned back, his mind running through the many hiding places Peter could use and wondered the same as Alexis why he would pick the dungeon. Like the rest of the Marauders, he never really liked Snape, so why was he hanging around the potions master's lair? Remus sighed and rested his elbows on the table, watching as Tonks rubbed her face roughly with her hands.

"I'm seriously considering the idea of placing muggle mouse traps all over Hogwarts," Tonks groaned, needing a way to catch Pettigrew that won't fail.

"Especially those sticky kinds," Remus managed to smile as he continued to think.


	13. What is Dangerous, What is Not

**Author's Note:**

Hmm, I decided to add a small subplot involving Snape because well...I just like Snape haha, especially when you mix him up with the Marauders and basically all the people he doesn't like, like Harry, SIRIUS, Remus, Tonks, etc. I hope this chapter is ok. Enjoy ^_^ Thanks for reading and please review.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13 – What is Dangerous, What is Not<strong>

Using her long, sword like wand, Tonks shot a small flame at the pile of wood under Remus' mantle, hoping to warm up the room before he returns. It was nearing mid December and waiting in his office became sort of a ritual. Every night, Remus, Tonks, and Lexi would have to patrol the castle for a while under Mad-Eye and Dumbledore's orders. Since her route was the shortest, Tonks would always be the first one back, then Remus, and then Lexi. That night was no different as Tonks poked at the blazing fire.

Once she thought the fire was big enough, Tonks leaned back into Remus' threadbare sofa her eyes looking around his office as she subconsciously changed her eye color from one to another in her boredom. Lying there, Tonks noticed that the office was so…Remus, from his carefully aligned books on the shelves to his many papers and folders lying in neat piles in their specific spots in the room. Everything was reminding her of him. Tonks began to think about his wolfish grin. Then her mind wandered to his gentle eyes and how whenever she was close to him he'd have a comforting scent of chocolate mixed with old parchment and dried ink. Soon she wondered about her feelings for him and what she should do about them. She'd kissed him twice already, never on the lips, but still, he didn't seem to be opposing them. She wondered if she should move on with it and tell him how she feels. She was Nymphadora Tonks, she was bold and brave so letting him know shouldn't be too hard. But yet again, she'd never felt the same about any other man before until him. Putting all logical thoughts aside, Tonks could easily say she loves him. But she'd never been in love before and she was afraid.

"Hello Nymphadora," Remus smiled as his soft voice gently pulled Tonks out of her thoughts. "Did I interrupt a deep thought? I'm sorry," he spoke, still so softly.

Tonks smiled and shook her head as she began to blush. "No. Wotcher Remus."

He sat down on his threadbare sofa beside her, poking at the warm fire Tonks already had going. He licked his lips, staring nervously at the ground. He felt flustered around her and his heart was beating at a pace far too fast to be healthy. Remus even remembered receiving yet another kiss from her in his dreams from when she visited him in the hospital wing during the last moon. Since then, every day his already wild feelings for her would only grow stronger no matter how much Remus told himself he wasn't worthy of her. He even scolded himself to keep his feelings and emotions hidden, for her sake, for both their sakes. But day by day it became harder and harder to resist those soulful, clairvoyant eyes, that playful voice and cheeky grin, that colorful hair and equally colorful personality. Day by day it became harder to resist the brilliant and beautiful young witch. And her scent, lavender chamomile with new parchment and fresh ink, was so comforting, it became unforgettable.

"Um…how was your walk?" They asked quickly and at the same time and blushed. Like flustered school boys and girls they turned away from each other for a brief moment but then looked back. "Fine what about yours?" They asked again in perfect harmony with each other.

"Um…oh I ran into Harry during my patrol," Remus spoke quickly. His heart was beating at a dangerously unhealthy pace now as he tried to hide his feelings from her. She seemed to be acting differently and Remus thought he was making it awkward for her. He scolded himself again mentally to keep his feelings in check. "Guess what I found."

Tonks smiled at him, trying so hard to calm herself down. He was acting differently and Tonks feared she was making it awkward for him as he saw her as nothing more than a friend. "What'd you find Remus?" she asked, hiding most of her feelings behind her enthusiastic grin.

Remus swallowed and licked his lips nervously. There was that cheeky grin of hers again and he was scared his heart would rupture or melt away. "Oh um I ran into Harry and confiscated this off him," he spoke, taking out a blank set of old, yellowing parchment. He tapped his wand on it and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." When he was finished and glanced up at Tonks, he realized what sort of irony his message had beneath the surface.

The parchment began to reveal itself as the layout of Hogwarts and its grounds appeared on it, showing names and corridors and everything. "The Marauder's Map," she gasped.

Looking at the map, his wolfish and mischievous grin appeared as he looked at his old creation, the Marauder's creation. "Harry had it this whole time."

"No way," Tonks grinned. "That's how he got to Hogsmeade! This could help us so much," she spoke excitedly, her hand stroking over his as he handed her the map.

His heart skipped a few beats and then raced faster to recover those missing beats. Remus licked his lips again. "_This is very unhealthy. For Merlin's sake keep a hold of yourself, Moony,_" he mentally scolded himself yet again. "Oh and Harry said he saw Peter's name on the map. He's getting suspicious about it and thought the map was lying. I guess that's a good thing."

"Yeah, and now he'll suspect there might be more to the story they all believed in. And there's Pettigrew, right in Snape's office. I'm guessing Snape isn't aware of it as he's still coming down from the second floor," Tonks spoke, quickly and easily figuring out the map.

"We should get down there," Remus spoke, flustered still.

"Oh I'll be down there for detention later. I forgot to serve the one after dinner. And it's only seven. I can look for Pettigrew while I'm down there and you can keep an eye on the map."

"Sounds like a plan Nymphadora."

She only meant to look up and glare at him but ended up getting lost in his gentle blue eyes, glare forgotten. Remus' body heat rose significantly as he looked into her eyes. They were an unnaturally brilliant blue and he wished they wouldn't change back into her deep and lucid green because otherwise he may just explode. Soon they slipped back to her beautiful green and Remus' heart danced like a foolish jester inside his chest. Little did he know, Tonks' heart did the same when she looked him in the eyes. Remus quickly cleared his throat and managed to break free from her spell. They looked around nervously and their eyes finally fell on the open door where their blushes reached an immediate crescendo.

Standing in the doorway was a very amused Alexis Black. She had her arms crossed, leaning to the side with a playful smirk on her face. Remus and Tonks blushed, each wondering how long she'd been there. "Ah, shy love, always so amusing to watch," she teased. "Don't worry. I haven't been here long," she spoke, answering their unspoken question.

"Alexis, come in, we've found the map," Remus spoke slowly, choking on his words.

"I feel like I'm intruding. Perhaps I should take another walk and come back later."

"Uh what are you talking about Lexi? Get in here," Tonks spoke after regaining herself. Remus thought Alexis could be so like Sirius, more than any of them cared to admit.

"Alright, whatever you say," Alexis smiled, sitting in the armchair opposite of them.

"Uh alright," Remus cleared his throat. "Alexis, you'll be glad to hear that I've found the map. Harry's had it this whole time. And we spotted Peter here in Severus' private office."

"And um Snape seems to be unaware of Pettigrew's presence since he's just getting into the dungeon now," Tonks spoke. She looked up to see Lexi still smirking at them. "What?"

"Nothing," Lexi smiled. "Ok, so well there's something I want to know about the map and no doubt Remus could help me," she spoke, becoming serious. "How and why was the map created and how much of Hogwarts does it cover, and is it fooled by animagi or invisibility cloaks or even Ghost necklaces?"

"Merlin, one question at a time Lexi," Tonks sighed.

"Well I guess I'll start with the first question then," Remus sighed, managing a small smile as with Alexis' presence, he and Tonks were finally recovering from their fluster moments ago. "The main reason why the map was created was simply because of me. After James, Sirius, and Peter learned to become animagi, we were sneaking out of the castle a lot. I could openly go to the Shrieking Shack but to the teachers, the other Marauders have no business there. And to accompany me, often they'd have to sneak past all the watchful eyes of Hogwarts, as you girls would understand. So Sirius decided to make a simple map of the few passage ways we could take to get to me and charm it so that it shows the location of anyone on that passage way. Well that small map slowly grew and grew because once we got the charms down, we just found it so fascinating that we slowly decided to map the whole school of Hogwarts and its grounds. As for how it was created, we actually studied a lot on the charm _Homenum Revelio_, of which we used a method we learned in a book called Spell Binding, to set the spell onto the map to detect all people and become permanent. I'm sure Alexis is familiar with the term Spell Binding as with James' invisibility cloak, he, Sirius and I found it in the restricted section and the book specifically states that the only news ever leaked from the Department of Mysteries was in 1924 by an unnamed Unspeakable and he spoke about Spell Binding."

Tonks turned to Lexi as she spoke. "1924, Leopold Spann was the Unspeakable who revealed the art of Spell Binding. It's a rather complicated thing but in shortness, it's to use a previously known spell and add onto it, furthering the use of it, and it requires a whole lot of work with mathematics surprisingly. Spann was the first Unspeakable to know of a way to counter the Confidant Charm and I figured it out through research about him."

"And what happened to him after he revealed about this Spell Binding?" Tonks asked.

"Well let's just say he wasn't so smart and revealed what he knew to the public and they had definite proof of him doing it. He was…obliviated and they snapped his wand. He thinks he's a retired dentist now, living somewhere in Yorkshire."

"Lexi, you break more rules than he does as an Unspeakable, on a daily basis. You better watch yourself. I don't want my dear cousin thinking she's a boring old dentist," Tonks warned.

"Relax, I've thought everything through and I can confidently assure you I won't ever get busted for _bending_ the rules as an Unspeakable," she scoffed. "Now Remus, please continue."

Remus had been looking at Tonks and had to pry his eyes away from her less his heart began to beat at a dangerously unhealthy pace again. It hadn't slowed down to a normal rhythm yet and he didn't think it ever would with her around, but at least it wasn't pounding out of his chest. "As for how much of Hogwarts the map covers, well I'd say it covers the entire thing right up to the fences. But that means that it doesn't cover the Shrieking Shack and those that are technically beyond the castle grounds because it would go right off the map. And the map can detect every single person in its boundaries. So it can't detect goblins or house elves, but it can detect ghosts and such. The map is not fooled by animagi, polyjuice potion, or the invisibility cloak as James and Sirius made sure to that while we were finalizing it. And if you look here, you can see Broderick Bode and Augustus Rookwood patrolling the castle." Remus pointed to two dots with their names on it, moving about in the upper corridors. "If you and Alexis have your necklaces back, I'm sure they have too and are possibly using it. Meaning, the map can see through the effects of the Ghost necklace of the Department of Mysteries as well."

"Of course, because when we made it we solely imitated the essence of ghosts and the only difference being we make ourselves completely invisible. If the map can see ghosts, it can see those under the necklace," Alexis spoke. "Remus this is impressive."

"I can't believe you made this while you were still in school," Tonks spoke, studying the map closely. "This is so neat."

Remus couldn't help but chuckle looking at her and just when he thought he'd finally got a hold of himself his heart was beating up a storm yet again. Discreetly he glanced up and saw Alexis' eyes shift from himself to Tonks and then back to him. She had on a familiar smirk on her face, a smirk he'd seen so many times on that of his best friend. Hers was slightly different however, there was more subtlety to hers as she didn't break out into a full fit of laughter afterwards like Sirius always would, and hers was much sharper. Remus was surprised to say that Alexis Black held more of the patrician Black beauty than neither Nymphadora nor Sirius.

"Your smirk is very familiar to Sirius, did you know that?" Remus chuckled nervously.

Tonks' eyes widened when she heard Remus say that and looked up from the map. She knew her cousin always hated being compared to the Black family even though she was more like them than she cared to admit, but Remus was comparing her to Sirius and Tonks wondered how her cousin was going to take it. Her smirk dropped. "_Oh bloody hell, way to go Remus._"

But then Alexis suddenly grinned, a yet again very familiar mischievous grin resembling Sirius. "Does this look like Paddy's grin too?" she laughed. "People have said that."

Tonks let out a breath as Remus chuckled. He was searching for something to pull his attention away from Tonks, and Alexis' strong resemblance to Sirius and the rest of the Black family seemed to be the only thing capable of doing so, but only for a fleeting moment as he was soon distracted by Tonks again. After a while, it was Lexi who subtly cleared her throat and both Remus and Tonks looked up. The young witch gestured to the clock that was nearing eight and Tonks remembered she still had to serve detention with Snape that night, much to her dismay.

"Oh I'm about to scream bloody murder," Tonks groaned, getting up. "Remus is there any way you can help me get out of this?"

He managed a shy, almost timid smile, afraid he'd get lost in her eyes. "I'm afraid not Nymphadora. Severus won't listen to anything I say."

"Ugh come on, you're twenty-one for god's sake, stop complaining," Alexis sighed and rolled her eyes as she pulled Tonks out of the room.

Exiting the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Tonks and Alexis turned and headed down an empty corridor together, both in comfortable silence for a while until Tonks began to notice that mischievous smirk that kept dancing its way across her cousin's lips the entire night. She turned to Lexi, wondering what could be so amusing to her.

"You know your smirk really worries me. Is something going to fall on me or something?" Tonks asked, double checking just in case her cousin did plan a prank on her.

"Cuz, you are bloody brilliant, but sometimes you can be so daft," Alexis sighed. "What were you and dear old bookworm Moony doing before I came in?"

Tonks felt herself blush uncontrollably. "We weren't doing anything," she protested.

"Right," Alexis nodded with obvious sarcasm. "Those in love would never admit they're in love until it hits them in the face," Alexis sighed, shaking her head.

"That's not me, I admit I'm in love and it still hits me in the face," Tonks grumbled but then wanted to slap herself. Her feet weren't the only things clumsy about her. "You weasel," she scowled at Alexis. "How do you get to me so easily?"

"We're cousins and I've known you since forever. Now tell me about this love of yours."

"Um…well…putting all logical thoughts aside…I could very well say I love him. But it may just be a very strong infatuation at the moment and will die away soon. After all, he'd never have the same feelings for someone like me and I'm smart enough not to get too attached."

"Ah, denial is always a sucker punch in every relationship," Alexis sighed, shaking her head again. "And no one is smart in love Tonks. When we fall in love, we're just as foolish as anybody, but that's the fun of it. In love, we're all clumsy, reckless, and truthful."

"You don't seem like a fool in love," Tonks grumbled.

"That's because I've never been in love," Alexis laughed. "Tonks, if you feel that you've fallen in love now, just follow your heart and go it all. And besides, Professor Lupin seems like a good bloke. At a glance you two are from opposite worlds, but looking closer, he matches you perfectly," Alexis grinned, patting her cousin's shoulder.

"You really think I should give this silly crush a go?"

"Don't ask me if you should fall in love or not, I can't make the decision for you. All I'm saying is that you should do whatever your heart feels right, no matter how much your brain is telling you that it's wrong. Put all logical thoughts aside, it'll be easier. And don't think. Thinking only complicates everything. Thinking is dangerous my silly cousin."

"You think all the time," Tonks replied. "Don't deny it. Even when you don't fall into your habit of stroking your cheek, I know that you're thinking hard about things with that look in your eyes. It seems that when you think, things tend to work out a lot better."

"Not really," the black haired young woman sighed. "It complicates everything, gets you all angst and worried, and confused. I just do a good job of hiding it. Just try not to think about it and allow your emotions to judge whether you should fall in love or not. But from what I see, it seems you've already fallen, and the kind professor has already fallen for you."

"Please don't say that, you'll only get my hopes up."

"Alright I won't. But when Remus and you get together, I warn you, I _won't_ have the manners not to say I told you so."

Tonks smiled and shook her head, thoughts on Remus lingering in the back of her mind. "What will I do without you?" she sighed. "So what have you been thinking about? I know that look in your eyes and I think it's only fair that after you've basically unraveled me that you allow me to see a little bit into that crazy mind of yours."

Alexis laughed as she leaned on her cousin, pushing each other playfully as if they were simple schoolgirls at Hogwarts all over again. "To be completely honest, I had two thoughts on my mind the whole time while we were discussing the map with Remus. One, was Kingston."

Tonks laughed while playfully teasing her cousin. "I remember you told me you had a crush on him in your second year but when he began to keep foiling our plans, you completely hated him. Now I'm thinking that hate is gone?"

She shrugged and grinned but didn't blush madly. Tonks noticed she'd never seen Alexis blush, ever before. "Ah it's a love hate relationship we've got," she laughed.

"Alright," Tonks chuckled, knowing if her cousin didn't want to say more, unlike Tonks, no matter what happens, she wasn't going to say more. She was after all an Unspeakable. "Now what's the second thing you had on your mind?"

"Unlike you I wasn't completely flustered about romance," Alexis teased. "And I happen to notice that before Snape entered his office, Pettigrew's dot was standing still in Snape's office and then once Snape came to the door, he scurried and possibly turned back into a rat and hid around the room. What could Pettigrew be doing in Snape's office? And is Snape really not aware? He hates Padfoot more than anything and if Pettigrew wants to ruin Padfoot again, it's not impossible that he could be seeking the help of old Snivellus."

"Lexi you are bloody brilliant. We have to question Snape about this. Leave it to me."

"Wait, don't do anything rash. It's only a thought Tonks, a thought with no concrete evidence to prove it true. Sometimes, you shouldn't act out everything that comes to your mind."

"But Sirius' innocence…we have to check…"

"Alexis, Tonks," Silvia's serious voice called out to them as Tonks looked up to see the woman taking the Ghost necklace off her neck, revealing her presence to them. Tonks rolled her eyes when she realized Silvia could have overheard their entire conversation. She was a total sweetheart, but the woman took her work way too seriously. At least she was level-headed and listened to reason. Tonks had never argued with her, otherwise, they'd probably be enemies. "What are you two girls doing out here this late? Your shift was over an hour ago."

"Yes but Tonks here, brilliantly earned herself a month's worth of detention with our dreary old potions master," Alexis grinned, unfazed by the serious expression on Silvia's face.

She nodded but seemed unbelieving. "And out of curiosity, what were you two girls talking about earlier about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew?"

"We were discussing the possibility that Sirius could be innocent," Tonks spoke without hiding. "You've told me before that the ministry made a mistake in not giving him a proper trial and isn't it odd how nothing else of Pettigrew survived but a finger did in the explosion?"

Silvia's stern expression lowered and she nodded. "Yes, true. We have discussed this before." She was quiet for a moment and Alexis and Tonks were about to leave until she seemed to have suddenly realized something and looked up at them, now with worry in her eyes. "You two are his cousins…"

"Yes," Alexis replied a little too dryly.

"Don't tell me…no…you two aren't helping him are you?"

Tonks knew being around Mad-Eye and having him scream _constant vigilance_ in your face fifty times a day was taking its desired effect. Silvia was getting paranoid, and Tonks can't blame her. She wasn't wrong. "Of course not. I rather like my job thank you," Tonks replied.

She nodded slowly, still unbelieving. "But Alexis, you've been known to bend the rules."

"Please Silvia, this is a pretty big rule to break. Even if I don't like my job I still wouldn't want to end up in Azkaban and join the rest of my deranged family," Lexi sighed easily.

Silvia nodded a final time and began to put her Ghost necklace around her neck. "You two are wonderful girls. You're a great auror Tonks and Lexi, you're a brilliant Unspeakable. Please don't go doing anything reckless. I don't want to have to visit you and hear your carefree jokes through a prison bar," Silvia sighed and concealed herself under the necklace.

Tonks and Alexis walked for a moment longer when they were sure that Silvia had gone somewhere else. Lexi turned to Tonks and mouthed the words _don't get caught_ to her cousin. Tonks sighed but nodded. It was just like how they were in school, all over again. Except the difference this time was that there were more risks when they were breaking the rules. In school, the biggest risk they had was a month's detention with Snape. Now, even that punishment seemed like nothing when they know that with one screw up, not only will they be unable to clear their innocent cousin's name, they'll be found in the cells beside him in Azkaban.

* * *

><p>From her days at school, the one thing Tonks remembered about the dungeon was that during the late evenings, it was a perfect scene for one of those muggle horror movies. Returning to Hogwarts, she didn't have much hope in it changing, and she was right in having no hope. Sitting in Severus Snape's personal office, scraping clean the black brass and copper cauldrons, she searched desperately for some sort of color. But everywhere she turned, all she saw was black, drear, and more drear. Then she turned to the front of the room where Severus Snape sat beside a boiling cauldron of coppery golden liquid, and she thought she'd much rather return to the drear than look at him, the dreariest man alive.<p>

"_When am I done? I'm too bloody old for this_," Tonks thought to herself.

"Psst." She turned around to see her cousin had returned from her rounds in the dungeon.

"What did you find?" Tonks whispered.

"Absolutely nothing. Pettigrew was in here but now he's gone. He's not even in the bloody dungeon!" said Alexis, her voice a normal volume as she was under the Ghost necklace.

"So what was he doing here?" Tonks whispered again.

"Nymphadora if you wish to speak with your visitor there's no point in whispering when I can still here you," Snape sneered dryly as he stirred the potion. "Tell whoever is hiding to come out. You all are adults I hope and secrets stir suspicion," he drew out the last syllables.

Tonks turned around to glare at him. He didn't notice her however as he kept glaring at his cauldron and calming down the fire beneath it. "Git," Tonks grumbled.

Lexi took the necklace off her neck and without greeting Snape, sat down on one of his bookshelves. She grinned brilliantly at Tonks, her grin a total difference from all the black, drear, and more drear. Tonks was thankful. She sighed and tried to forget the fact that she was in the same room as Severus Snape and he'd just called her by her dreadful first name.

"Did you find anything interesting on your walk Lexi?" she asked openly.

"I've already told you. It's rather suspicious. Why here?"

Tonks shrugged and sighed, pushing the last cauldron aside as she wiped her soot marred face with the back of her hand. "Hey Severus, I'm done can I leave now?"

"In a minute. Since you'll be seeing Lupin again soon you might as well take this up to him and save me the trouble," he replied, scooping the contents in the burning cauldron into smaller glasses with metal lids.

Upon seeing the faint and sickly looking blue smoke lingering at the surface of the concoction Snape had just finished brewing, Tonks knew immediately that it was the wolfsbane potion. Then she looked around, able to sense the distinct smell of the wolfsbane plant in the room. She turned back and realized Snape had already made his way over to her and practically shoved the cauldron of seven cups of potion doses into her face.

"Is it just me or does the wolfsbane smell from it wreaks more than other months?" Tonks asked, turning to Lexi and then glaring at Snape.

"It's how wolfsbane is supposed to smell. It's no surprise that you wouldn't know after barely passing my class," he sneered with complete indifference.

Tonks was sure there was something off about the potion. She forced herself to be quiet.

"Make sure he remembers to take it before that mutt goes on a rampage."

Tonks took the cauldron and growled, standing up and openly glaring at him. "He has a name and his name is Remus Lupin. He's no mutt."

"Really? Coming from you Nymphadora, it means nothing," Snape replied.

"Tonks, calm down, let's go," Alexis spoke from the side when she saw Tonks' hair turn a flaming shade of red, the oh-so-familiar color of her anger.

Speaking through clenched teeth, Tonks raised a pointed finger at him. "You're rather immature for an adult and you definitely hold a grudge," she growled.

Alexis was nudging Tonks' elbow now as her hair grew to an even brighter shade of red.

"It is completely understandable to hold a grudge against someone who nearly killed you," Snape replied, his voice low and growing colder.

"Remus would never hurt anyone. You're just holding a childish grudge."

Sitting at the side, Lexi sighed and shook her head. She'd heard Sirius tell them the story about how he tricked Severus Snape into following them through to the Shrieking Shack during a full moon, knowing that Remus' werewolf self would no doubt kill the _greasy haired git_ as he called Snape. She wondered if Tonks still remembers the story. If it wasn't for James Potter's last minute guilt trip, Snape would have been dead and it would have, under unfortunate and completely uncontrollable circumstances, been completely Remus' doing.

"Your friend and arrogant prat of a cousin tricked me and nearly got me killed. He's lucky I'm willing to brew wolfsbane potion for him otherwise who knew how many more innocent children would fall victim to him and his beast." Snape spitted out each word.

"Tonks, come on," Alexis nudged again but her efforts seemed futile.

"Look, don't ever call Remus Lupin a beast, and my cousin is not an arrogant prat."

"And I suppose those years he and his friends spent seeking happiness while torturing other students were all harmless childhood humor?" Snape asked and Alexis, even Tonks were surprised when they sensed a feeling of hurt in his words. Tonks was about to grind her teeth back and walk away with Alexis' pull, but suddenly Snape said something that made her snap. "Lupin and Black were insufferable sadists who enjoy making a misery out of others' lives for petty amusement. They're nothing but dangerous beasts in human form."

"They are not dangerous!" Tonks shrieked and a few of the potion glasses shattered. "You can't tell the difference between what is dangerous and what is not!" Tonks was fuming, her knuckles turning white as her hair seemed stuck in the color of enraged, flaming red. There was a harsh gust of wind around her and a few more glasses shattered. Alexis knew that Tonks would lose her top soon and her non-verbal magic would become uncontrollable. She stroked her cousin's back in what she hoped to be a comforting gesture and continued to try to pull her away. Snape had a reason to really dislike or rather hate Remus and Sirius, but as an adult he should know better than to purposely press Tonks' buttons.

"_I guess he's only human_," Alexis sighed while the thought ran through her head.

Alexis glanced back at Snape while she still was trying to pull Tonks out of the room, holding onto the hopefully unbroken batch of wolfsbane potion. She saw Snape heave a heavy sigh as he spoke to Tonks, perhaps regaining himself.

"Control yourself," Severus Snape spoke to the enraged auror but she wouldn't listen. "Look at me," the man spoke in a calm, cold, and dry voice but with underlying emotions. "Keep your emotions intact Nymphadora."

Suddenly, pulling Tonks out of the classroom was no longer a worry of hers. Her surroundings were blurred out as the voice replayed itself in her head. Alexis remembered that night very clearly. She'd heard that same tone of voice before, the same words as well. Inside her head, she kept remembering those five words, those five words a masked man said to get the attention of her crazy and homicidal aunt those many years ago. _Control yourself. Look at me._ Alexis' eyes turned back to Snape and she didn't glare at him but she shot him a gaze of bemusement that was so loud it even drew his attention.

"Black, I suggest taking your cousin back to her room," he sneered.

"Black," Alexis nodded, still keeping her head and calming Tonks down. She had a look of bemusement in her eyes. "That voice…you knew Bellatrix Lestrange."

His eyes showed surprise and shock and Alexis knew he didn't even have to speak anymore. It really was him, the man who held her back. "I have no idea what you're saying."

"I may be jumping to conclusions here…but I'm willing to bet my petty life that you were one of the Death Eaters present at the scene when Bellatrix Lestrange killed her oldest brother Marcus Black and his wife Michelle Black," she spoke. Her voice was shockingly even, making Tonks take a second glance at her cousin. Alexis didn't seem enraged, or angered, or hurt. She was just very simply…confused.

Snape was quiet, his beady eyes unable to feign innocence as he looked back at the young Black. He remembered that night, and after she reminded him, he remembered it quite clearly now. It had been the night when the Dark Lord forced Bellatrix to prove her loyalty by murdering her beloved brother and his wife. It was also when they met the little girl, Bellatrix's niece she had no knowledge of until then. Severus remembered that after Marcus and Michelle Black, their only daughter, a girl he did not know the name of, picked up the wizard's wand and sent the Cruciatus Curse at Bella. It impressed even him that a child that young could do such thing. He'd always thought the girl would become a Slytherin if she ever went to Hogwarts. And then he remembered Sirius Black, running in and saving her that night, even stunning him.

"Does this wand look familiar, professor?" Alexis Black asked, holding up her long Black wand, thirteen inches at a guess, a very familiar wand he'd seen in the hands of Marcus Black. "It's my father's wand. To jog your memory, I was the little girl who cursed that Lestrange woman," she spoke in a shockingly even and conversational voice, a skill of the Black family to keep their aristocratic hauteur in any situation.

He wondered why he never noticed. He'd taught Alexis and Nymphadora potions for all seven years and yet he never noticed that she had possession of that wand.

"Professor…you were a Death Eater…correct?" she asked. Again, Tonks saw no anger, no hurt or pain in Lexi's eyes. She saw simple bemusement. He was a Death Eater. Another glance in Alexis' eyes, Tonks saw the forming of an idea. She knew that look Alexis had all too well, and she knew that something…something important was forming in her mind.

"Alexis there is no use bringing up the past when it no longer matters," Snape spoke in an even voice but Tonks learned from Mad-Eye to pay attention to their eyes, and she noticed his eyes showed signs of disbelief and surprise.

Tonks saw that Lexi grinned. Obviously Snape had just admitted that in his past he was a Death Eater. Alexis tightened her grip around Tonks' shoulder and pulled her out of the room just as Snape was about to kick them out. "Thank you Severus. Good night."

* * *

><p>After Snape had kicked them out of his room, Tonks was walking slowly beside her cousin down the empty corridors with a cauldron of wolfsbane potion in her arms. Alexis was mumbling something, stroking the side of her cheek, an obvious sign that she was deep in thought. Luckily, even when she was deep in thought she was coordinated enough to maneuver around a sudden statue in the hall, unlike Tonks who tripped on the corner of the stone knight's foot and nearly spilled Remus' wolfsbane potion.<p>

"Watch it Tonksie," Alexis spoke in a low voice, her mind somewhere else.

"Thanks cuz," Tonks sighed. "Lexi, curious question but where were you going with asking Snape about his Death Eater background?"

"No, I was just thinking too much. Nothing to worry about," Alexis sighed.

Tonks placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder and held her back. "Tell me."

"It's really just a thought."

"I don't care."

Alexis sighed and rolled her eyes. She took out her wand and placed a strong silencing spell around them so that no one could eavesdrop. "Well, if Severus Snape was a Death Eater and Peter Pettigrew was a spy for Voldemort…Snape would have known about Pettigrew. He would've known that Peter Pettigrew was the spy all along…right?"

Tonks didn't flinch when Alexis said _Voldemort_, because they'd been taught by Mad-Eye Moody not to fear the word, for reasons still unknown. Her eyes widened as she clapped her hands together. "Yes! And Snape would be a solid witness account to prove Sirius' innocence!"

"I'm no lawyer or Wizengamot member but if Snape agrees to tell us and well the bloody Ministry what he knew about the night the Potters were killed…then it will serve as valid evidence against Pettigrew and in favor of Sirius!"

"We may have something solid to base our beliefs on!" Both girls screamed. Tonks would have jumped up and down if not for the cauldron in her hands.

"Oh bugger," Alexis suddenly groaned.

"What's wrong?"

"Snape _despises_ Sirius…he's not going to help."

"Can't we use Veritaserum?"

"He brews them Tonks, he knows the antidote…and I heard from Rookwood that Snape is an accomplished Occlumens. He's as good as us Unspeakables and will be able to resist Veritaserum without any problems at all."

"Wait…to become an Unspeakable you must know Occlumency?"

"It's part of the whole secret keeping idea Tonks. Occlumency, how to brew Veritaserum and its antidote, oh and Legilimency," Alexis nodded. "But now…what do we do about Snape? I wouldn't bother asking him because after your argument with him, he won't help us so easily."

"We could go over this with Remus and see what he thinks about it. But yes, if Snape is a Death Eater, he'd know about Peter Pettigrew. And also, if Snape is a Death Eater, how come Dumbledore trusts him enough to give him this post?"

"I'm guessing the same way he trusts Remus," Alexis shrugged. "Sure Snape's a total sod, but I doubt he'd really openly harm anyone of us. And let's not forget what Remus is, so I guess they have the same kind of genuine trust from Dumbledore. All I know is that if Snape's a Death Eater and none of us are dead yet, he's still trustworthy for the moment," Alexis replied.

Tonks nodded. "We have to find out what he knows about Peter Pettigrew during the time of the First Wizarding War. Do you think we could ask Dumbledore about this?"

"But Dumbledore thinks we're still trying to catch Sirius, not Pettigrew."

"Right…let's talk this over with Remus first. If we can get anything useful off Snape, it would really help in Sirius' case and we can real easily prove his innocence," Tonks grinned.

"Yes. Now come on, I need sleep. We'll speak with Remus right after class tomorrow and we'll even skip dinner. We can give him his wolfsbane potion then. Happy cousin? You get to see him more," Alexis teased.

"Shut up Black," Tonks sighed. After a few more steps, Tonks suddenly thought of something she needed to ask her cousin. "Wait, if you don't want to talk about this you don't have to I completely understand…but how come when you remember that Snape was one of the Death Eaters present when Bellatrix Lestrange killed…you know…you weren't angry or emotional or anything?" Tonks asked, voicing her curiosity.

"Simple. Because he's not Bellatrix Lestrange," Alexis shrugged. Besides, the man wasn't the one who fired the curses that killed her parents. "It was Lestrange who killed my parents. My grudge is between her and me and no one else."

"You're always the level-headed one Alexis," Tonks sighed.

"And you're always the reckless one Nymphadora," Alexis teased.

"I'm going to hex you into next week!" Tonks yelled, grabbing Lexi's neck with her hands while still trying hard to not spill the cauldron of Remus' wolfsbane potion. She was happy. Thanks to her cousin's close observation and attention to minor details, they were coming closer to a solid piece of evidence to support Sirius' case and prove him innocent. She was wrestling with Alexis down the hall, the strong silencing charm still around them. After a moment, both Tonks and Lexi could hear the faint chimes of the clock tower as the clock hit midnight, moving onto the next day.

Tonks looked up, her arm still around Alexis' neck. "Hey Lexi, what day's today?"

"The fifteenth of December I believe," she spoke after the last bell chimed.

Letting her cousin go from the playful headlock, Tonks grinned at the raven haired girl. Lexi was always the brilliant one who pays attention to the minor details. If they could get anything, any information at all off Snape, she knew it would be useful. "_What would I do without this nutcase?_" Tonks thought to herself, looking at her cousin. Alexis raised a bemused eyebrow at Tonks who was grinning oddly. "_And she probably forgot the special day again, the idiot,_" Tonks continued to think.

"Um…Tonks…I know you're happy we're finally getting somewhere with Sirius' case…but can you stop that grin? It's creeping me out."

"Happy birthday Lexi."


	14. Our Past is Who We Are

**Author's Note:**

I know I'm moving really fast with this story as the time is only December and they're already trying to help prove Sirius' innocence, but it's AU and...I plan on writing another story after this if I can work out my plotlines right, so the time lapse will be beneficial. As for this chapter, I was hoping I didn't do too bad in all the law talk as the girls are trying to help Sirius' case. I've never been good at law or anything related to it so I hope it's not god awful. Also, the very last part in this chapter...is a part I _very surprisingly_ enjoyed writing the most, all because of something a friend of mine (who is completely obsessed with Sirius Black) said...

Thanks for reading, remember to review, and I hope you enjoy! ^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter 14 – Our Past is Who We Are<strong>

The class was assigned a writing assignment and towards the end of the class, they were given time to complete it. Tonks, not having to literally write the two-page essay on bowtruckles, had begun to doze off in the time given. Her vision became blurry as her eyelids grew heavier. She was struggling to stay awake in one of her favorite classes of all time, but it became so hard. The next thing she knew, all she heard was a faint buzzing, the buzzing being the quiet and hushed whispers coming from around the room. Tonks didn't know how long she'd fallen asleep, but the next thing she could hear was her cousin's voice.

"Do you think we should wake her?" Alexis asked, her volume a normal level.

"No." She heard Remus Lupin's gentle and tired voice. "I suppose if Nymphadora is tired, we should just let her sleep. You girls still have to go on patrol later and we can't have her dozing off then. Nymphadora could be even clumsier when she's sleepy."

Tonks growled mentally inside her mind. Remus would never give up on calling her _Nymphadora_, no matter how much she protests. He'd used her dreadful name twice and without remorse, and he even mentioned her unbelievable clumsiness. He needed a scolding. That was all her mind registered before Tonks stirred. She grumbled and rubbed her eyes as she looked up at them, being sure to give Remus a death glare.

"Remus you're asking to be hexed into next week," Tonks grumbled.

"Empty threats," Lexi scoffed as Tonks sat up and she sat on Tonks' desk.

"Now Alexis told me that you two have come across something essential in helping prove Sirius' innocence, but she wanted to wait until you're awake to talk about it. Can I know now?" Remus asked, summoning a stool over as he sat in front of Tonks, resting his elbows on her desk.

"Oh yes um…we think Snape may know something about Peter Pettigrew being Voldemort's spy and about the night James and Lily Potter got killed," Tonks yawned and rubbed her eyes to become more awake.

"What?" Remus breathed, his voice hitched.

"Last night while Tonks was serving detention with Snape," Alexis began. "I happened to hear him say something that jogged a memory of mine. When my parents were killed by Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius came to rescue me, there were three other Death Eaters there. One of them had to be Snape, I'm very certain of it. Now, since we all know that Bellatrix was one of Voldemort's most loyal servants then Snape must be close enough to them to know what's going on. We think that Snape may have some knowledge about Peter Pettigrew being a spy for them. If we could find out what exactly he knows, his statement could be filed as solid evidence in support of Sirius' complete innocence."

"So if we could just get Severus to tell us everything he knew about Peter's allegiance to Voldemort, we could help Sirius' case?" Remus asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Exactly," Tonks nodded. "And basic protocol would force the case to reopen even without us catching Peter Pettigrew. Then, instead of having Fudge target the whole auror taskforce on catching Sirius, the aurors would be sent by the Wizengamot members in search of Peter Pettigrew to see if he's still alive. Sooner or later they'd catch him, even if he is hiding as a rat, and then the case would be retried, and this time, Sirius' innocence is almost guaranteed. I'm also hoping Pettigrew can't resist Veritaserum."

"No, he can't," Remus replied. "But how will Severus be willing to help us? He hates Sirius and James with a passion because throughout our years in school, Sirius and James would always bully and torture Severus."

"He'd be a fool for letting some silly old school grudge get in the way of saving an innocent man from a horrible fate," Tonks replied.

"But if it's true that Severus is a Death Eater, then he wouldn't be willing to admit to it, especially to the Ministry," Remus responded.

"Remus, what is Snape like…while he was in school?" Alexis asked, feeling an odd lump in her throat as she was about to find out how an old teacher of hers was like in school. It was so hard to imagine Severus Snape as a simple child, teenager and young adult, just like them. To her and no doubt Tonks, Snape was just…well, Snape.

"He didn't talk much at first," Remus began. "That's what I remembered. But he was friends with Lily. Actually, she was his only real friend back then. When James began to fancy her, he and Sirius were relentless on Severus, bullying him, making a mockery out of him, all for amusement purposes. James actually used torturing Severus to gain attention from Lily. He was completely smitten by her. And Severus…I always had a hunch that he fancied Lily as well."

"No way, Snape fancied Harry's mum?" Tonks asked, leaning forward, closer to Remus.

"It was a hunch," Remus replied. "Because she's his only true friend, and the only person he was nice to that is not a Slytherin and definitely not a pureblood as Lily was muggleborn."

"If Snape really fancied Lily Potter…" Alexis began, stroking her cheek. "Even if he became a Death Eater, he'd be sure to take notice into any news about Lily. Surely when he heard that Voldemort had marked the Potters for death, he'd pay even more attention, and he wouldn't have missed it when Pettigrew was the one who revealed the Potter's location to them."

"We could go ask him right now to find out," Tonks suggested.

"Yes but once again, in case you've forgotten, Severus hates Sirius just as much as he hated James, because Sirius tortured him when we were kids. In fact, I don't know if you know this, but it was because of Sirius' little prank that I nearly killed Severus. He tricked Severus into following us to the Shrieking Shack on a full moon. And since Snape was in human form, my werewolf self would have killed him."

"Sirius told us about it," Tonks nodded, remembering one of Sirius' many guilty stories.

"And Snape mentioned it last night during their argument. He obviously isn't over it."

"We could still try asking him for his help," Tonks spoke again. "Like I said, he'd be a fool if he was to let an old grudge of his get in the way of saving an innocent man's life."

"How are we going to do it though?" Alexis asked.

"What do you mean?"

"We can't risk having Remus go talk to him. It's hard enough for Remus to get this post and we can't have the aurors think that Remus is in any way helping Sirius. As for us…we're supposed to be catching Sirius, not helping him, in the eyes of others. If Mad-Eye finds out, the paranoid old codger's going to keep a closer eye on us."

"Well it's worth a try," Tonks shrugged. "And besides, even if Mad-Eye keeps a closer eye on us, I'm sure you or me could find a way around that magical eye of his. We've done worse during school and this is to help Sirius. Besides, if we manage to get Snape to talk, we'll have solid evidence to help Sirius, and Mad-Eye would listen to reasons."

"It's just the word of one man. Do you two think it's worth to risk getting yourself in trouble?" Remus asked. "I'm sure Sirius wouldn't want you to be so risky."

"The Ministry has kept a record of all Death Eaters and suspected Death Eaters. If Snape truly was a Death Eater, his word will be of great help," Tonks responded.

"Alright, let's give it a try," Alexis spoke up. "Tonks and I will go and try to talk to Snape. Remus, you should go and tell Sirius on what we've found and remind him to behave himself. Also I suspect that the last bundle of food we gave him might be gone already knowing his large appetite so if you could please bring it to him."

"I'll do that. You girls meet me in my office when you're done talking to Severus."

Tonks nodded and immediately went with her cousin out to find Severus Snape. It was after dinner so he should be in his office right now. She hoped that he'd be willing to put the past behind him and help her cousin, but something in the back of her mind told her that Snape wasn't going to be willing to help them so easily. Tonks wondered that maybe she should apologize to him first for all those names she called him, no matter how true they were, and maybe she should apologize for the argument last night.

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><p>Ever since he was little, the Shrieking Shack was never a place of warmth for him. To Remus, the shack was just a simple house, built for his use on the full moon, a place where he could secretly take out his anger in wolf form, a place where his inner beast would be locked in. When Remus walked into the creaky, graying, rundown shack that night, it surprised him when a warm air suddenly swept him by. He walked up the stairs to realize that with his wand, Sirius might have casted a heating charm on the whole house. He entered a large bedroom, the same one he always preferred to use during transformations because he had boarded up windows that closed out the taunting face of the silver moon. Sitting inside, next to a blazing fire, with a half empty bottle of firewhiskey and a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, was Sirius Black, Azkaban escapee, and Remus' best friend.<p>

"Please tell me you have good news. Or even better, please tell me you have the rat with you," Sirius spoke, his voice less hoarse than before and looking healthier than before. He cleaned himself up and his hair was cut shorter, curly raven black hair hanging around his neck. He wore Remus' old shabby jumper, some tattoos still visible on his chest. Sirius was nestled in the warm winter cloak his cousins had bought him as he spoke to Remus.

"Well this may be good news, somewhat," Remus sighed, setting down a large parcel of food that Alexis had ordered for the man from the Three Broomsticks.

"So I'm guessing you don't have the rat," Sirius sighed, tossing a bean into his mouth.

"No," Remus sighed. "But Alexis and Nymphadora has discovered something that may be of great help in proving your innocence." He allowed a smirk to play across his face as he saw Sirius' attention shift entirely to him. "Alexis is quite sure Severus Snape was a Death Eater."

"I was sure of that too but no one ever listened to me," Sirius scoffed.

Remus ignored his friend and continued. "If Severus was indeed a Death Eater, he would have known something about Peter being the spy for Voldemort. If we could just get him to be willing to share what he knows with us and the Ministry, your case would be reopened and you'd be given a proper trial and Alexis and Nymphadora are both sure that once you're given a proper trial, all the evidence they found, along with Peter still being alive, you'd be proven innocent."

"That's great!" Sirius grinned, excited for a moment, but only a moment. "But you forget the fact that Snape is a git and _won't_ help me."

"We're adults Sirius. He wouldn't let an old grudge get in the way of saving an innocent man from a horrible fate."

"But he's _Snape_, Remus. He _would_ let an old grudge get in the way," Sirius retorted.

"We'll do our best to convince him to help. If Albus Dumbledore trusts him enough to give him a teaching job at Hogwarts like he trusts me, then Severus wouldn't be all that bad. I'm sure that if we give him enough reasons to see that you are no longer an immature arse, he'd be willing to help you."

"Thanks Moony, you are always so kind to me," Sirius teased dryly. "Where are my cousins? Don't tell me they're begging for his help. I'd never want them to do that!"

"I wouldn't say they're begging. After all, they _are_ Alexis Black and Nymphadora Tonks. They're probably just…negotiating for his help."

"I can't believe I'm relying on Snivelly's help to become a free man," Sirius grumbled.

"If you were nicer to him, we'd have more of a chance of him being willing to help."

"Yeah well he deserved it, being a complete and insufferable git and all," Sirius retorted.

"Our past makes us into who we are Sirius. If you hadn't tortured him in the past and hadn't played such an awful prank on him involving me, he wouldn't have hated you so much."

"Yeah yeah Moony," Sirius sighed. Many times Remus was the voice of reason, telling Sirius and James not to torture Severus, but those many times they'd ignored him. Now, when he was in need of Severus' help, Sirius began to regret being such an arse to the man. If he told James that, the poor Marauder would have a heart attack and die all over again. Sirius Black was growing up, times were really changing. "Bloody hell, I want my freedom and innocence back. You think if I apologize he'll help me?"

"You can't really do that now can you? We'll just have to wait to see what news Alexis and Nymphadora comes back with."

Sirius scoffed and nodded his head as he tossed another Flavour Bean into his mouth, cringing at the odd taste of tripe. "You know you're the only one who gets away with calling my pink haired cousin Nymphadora?"

He turned to his friend and smiled. He hadn't had a normal, pointless chat with Sirius in such a long, long time. Remus broke off a piece of chocolate from the half eaten chocolate bar he had in his pockets and took a small bite as he talked with Sirius. "I don't think I get away with it. Nymphadora just doesn't bother to scream at me anymore because I'll never give up."

"Yeah, you'll always be such a noble prat Remus," Sirius smiled. "How have you been all these years while I was…away?"

"Pretty lonely," Remus admitted, relaxing as he crossed his legs on the squeaky and breaking floorboards of the Shrieking Shack. "I have to admit, when I met Nymphadora, things began to change," he sighed.

"Really?" Sirius smirked, taking interest in his friend's distant gaze in his eyes. "Change how?" he continued to probe.

"Well for two moons, she accompanied me and made my transformation quite bearable. I'd say she did a much better job than you or Prongs ever did. She even made me laugh several times while in wolf form," Remus smiled softly, remembering when Tonks had been trapped in the Shrieking Shack with him and she ended up telling him silly stories about herself. "And she saved me from getting injured when I was roaming around under the October's Blood Moon. And Nymphadora brought you back."

Looking at Remus' soft and sentimental gaze, Sirius grinned. He knew that look in his friend's eyes, and though it was somewhat odd because the person of affection was his little cousin, he still couldn't help but smile when his friend was happy. If there's any man who deserved any happiness at all, it was Remus Lupin.

"What's with the grin?"

"Nothing, keep talking. What's your impression of my cousins? Start with Lexi first."

"She's brilliant," Remus spoke and Sirius noted that his eyes showed he was impressed by Alexis, like a teacher would be impressed by a student. "She's very kind and loyal too. She's a lot like you down to her habit of stroking her cheek when she gets an idea, though she does it more than you because you never have good ideas," Remus grinned and Sirius mock scowled at him. "I heard from Nymphadora that Alexis is quite a player when it comes to romance, again, a lot like you. She's brilliant and has an eye for details. Very witty too, and quite level-headed most of the time as far as I can tell."

Sirius nodded. Remus was impressed with Alexis and what they had was a good friendship. He grinned and asked Remus to speak about his other cousin, one he highly suspected was Remus' object of affection. "And what about Tonksie or as you say, Nymphadora?"

"Nymphadora…she's so kind. She's very open and loyal and she's…beautiful…" Sirius smirked as Remus seemed lost within his own thoughts. He wasn't complaining however, as he listened to Remus' soft words on what he thought of Nymphadora. "She makes me laugh a lot and I'm very grateful she still wanted to be my friend after accidentally getting locked in the shack with me on a full moon. Luckily I had wolfsbane. She works very hard in everything she does and is clever. Her clumsiness gets in the way sometimes, but I think it's a part of who she is and rather cute sometimes. Nymphadora never looked at me differently, even after seeing me during a full moon. She would always comfort me and reassure me. And I've noticed ever since she came into my life, things got…better. And her smile is absolutely stunning…bloody hell."

Sirius smirked when Remus looked up. Remus Lupin is completely smitten by his little cousin. "Yes, I'm still here Moony, in case you've forgotten. I know that look…and when you talk about her…" Sirius winked and smirked.

"No. Whatever you're thinking, it's completely wrong."

"How would you know? Face it Moony when it comes to love you're a complete fool."

"This is not love…" Remus spoke, having to rethink his words. He'd already fallen for her and putting all logical thoughts aside, Remus knew he was in love with Nymphadora Tonks. But no matter, he couldn't have her. He wouldn't let himself be a burden to her.

"Ok it's not love. It's a blossoming romance, happy?" Sirius laughed.

"I am not joking Padfoot. Don't ever think about me and Nymphadora together. She's your little cousin for god's sake. Don't you think she deserves better than a shabby old werewolf like me?" Remus asked, thinking of all the reasons why he couldn't be with Tonks.

"Personally, I find it rather odd that my best mate is in love with my little cousin. But my opinions don't matter here. It's your opinion and hers that do," Sirius replied.

"And she'll never have mutual feelings for someone like me," Remus said firmly.

"_We'll see about that mate,_" Sirius thought to himself and only smirked at Remus. He could see Remus practically melt under his stare. The poor man was preventing himself from being happy. Sirius didn't know what Tonks thought about his best mate, dear old bookworm Moony, but he was one-hundred percent sure that Remus was head-over-heels for her. "_I'll need to have a nice long talk with Tonksie. Being in prison for so long, I need something else other than freedom and innocence on my mind, or I'll really go insane._"

"Padfoot please," Remus sighed. "Whatever you're thinking, just stop it."

"When do you think I can have a nice long talk with my two cousins again?" he asked.

"I don't know but I'll tell them to stop by when they have the chance. It's not like you'll be going anywhere," Remus replied, worried what Sirius planned on telling the girls, especially Nymphadora with what had came to his mind.

"Alright, tell them to come fast, I need to talk to each of them," Sirius grinned. "Oh and can you take this and give it to Lexi on your way back?" he asked when he saw Remus prepare to leave. Sirius handed Remus a small paper package he'd made during his free time in the shack. "Tell her cousin Padfoot says happy birthday," Sirius smiled.

"It's Alexis' birthday?"

"Yeah she tends to be quite forgetful about her own birth. Now I think you better go before people start suspecting and I'll have to find a new hiding place like a cave or something," Sirius scoffed. "And be sure to be nice to Tonksie for me," the lanky man grinned.

"Padfoot," Remus rolled his eyes as he left the room with Sirius' package for Alexis in his hand and thoughts of Nymphadora on his mind. Yes Sirius was recovering and returning to his old self and yes they were coming closer to finding sufficient evidence to help prove Sirius' innocence. He should be happy. But instead, Remus is worried. He didn't want Sirius to talk to Nymphadora about how he feels about her, especially since she'd never return his feelings.

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><p>While walking down the dark and downright dreary hallway to her old potions professor's private office, Tonks realized she'd been in the dungeon a lot more often than she would've ever liked lately. She swallowed hard at the realization that soon, she would be found asking Severus Snape for help, all to prove her cousin Sirius' innocence. Never in her life had she ever thought she'd need Severus Snape's help. She never needed his help when she still had his class. She never needed his help in school. And if not for Sirius, she never would need his help. Tonks swallowed again. How'd she end up agreeing to ask for Snape's help?<p>

When they arrived in front of his wooden door, Tonks was pulled out of her mind when she heard Alexis heave a heavy sigh. "Take a breath because I'm making you apologize to him."

Tonks sighed the longest breath she'd ever held. "I know. I sort of figured it out."

"And you are going to apologize properly, like you mean it."

"I know. Blimey Lexi you're acting like my mum."

"I'm not that old but I still am older than you."

"Yes, by one bloody year."

"Whatever. Now come on, I really don't like being here anymore than you do but we need Snape's help if we're going to get sufficient evidence to prove Padfoot's innocence."

The pink haired metamorphmagus took a deep breath as her raven haired cousin knocked several times on the door. The dungeon was so quiet, they could literally hear him inside his own room. They heard a soft pushing of a chair, footsteps that were his signature, long, billowing strides, and a soft grumble as he opened the door. Standing before them was Snape, tall, dressed in entirely black robes, with piercing beady black eyes looking down at them.

"Why are you here?" he asked in his low, cold, and dry voice.

"Um…we were wondering if you could help us with something," Alexis spoke, managing a wry smile as she nudged Tonks in front of her.

"First I want to apologize for what happened last night," Tonks spoke evenly. She never feared Snape, but she never liked him either. So asking for his help made her feel odd. "I'm sorry for screaming at you last night and for losing my temper and breaking your potion bottles. And I'm sorry for calling you rude names," Tonks spoke. "_Even though most of the time you completely deserve it,_" Tonks added mentally.

Snape straightened up and leaned on his door as his eyes turned from Tonks, to Alexis, and then back to Tonks. "_They're up to something…_" he thought to himself. Being a teacher, he knew well enough that students, no matter how old they were, don't all of a sudden accept their faults just because they felt guilty. There was always an ulterior motive and when he realized he was looking at Alexis Black and Nymphadora Tonks in their faces, Snape realized that their ulterior motive might be more troublesome than any other of his past or present students.

"And I'm sorry for being so straightforward about your past last night," Alexis added.

"Black, Nymphadora, don't tell me you two came all the way down here right after dinner just so you can apologize for me," he spoke dryly, almost sneering at them, almost. Though he never really cared about what others thought of him, hearing a word of apology was rather soothing to the ear. Severus Snape was only human after all.

"Well…like Lexi said, we need your help with something," Tonks spoke.

"_I knew it,_" Snape thought and was tempted to roll his eyes at how right he was. "Come in and _don't_ touch anything," he spoke, knowing Tonks was infamous for her clumsiness and inability to keep anything unbroken for long.

They came in quietly and sat down. Tonks wanted to gag at all the drear, but she knew that doing so wouldn't help in what she came there to do. Snape's office was a gloomy, dimly-lit room and its shadowy walls were lined with glass jars filled with revolting things Tonks didn't want to even think about. She carefully sat down in the potions master's black leather armchair, careful not to touch or knock anything over, especially when she realized that there was so much glass from the potions being brewed in the room. Alexis sat on the arm of the chair as they both stayed a good five feet away from the dreary professor and his nightmarish walls. Severus Snape leaned on his circular desk and again looked at them with patronizing eyes.

"Professor, this may be a little too straightforward, but were you or were you not a Death Eater under Voldemort during times of the First Wizarding War?" Alexis asked, speaking in a mask that Tonks called her _Unspeakable Mask_, sounding like she completely means business and one of the main reasons she was such a great Unspeakable.

"Alexis I don't see a point in mentioning aspects of the past that is insignificant," Snape replied dryly. He remembered her as the little girl who cursed Bellatrix from years ago, and surely she remembered him as well since she kept questioning. Ever since then, he saw no point in denying his background to her, and it wasn't like they could do anything about it anyways. They already don't trust him and never liked him, he didn't have to care about what they think.

"So you don't deny it?" Alexis asked.

"No," he replied again, wondering where the girl was going at with the news.

It was Tonks' turn to speak and she made careful note to choose her words correctly less she somehow angered him and lowered their chance. "Since you were once a Death Eater, did you know anything about Peter Pettigrew's allegiance to Voldemort?" she asked carefully.

"No."

"Severus Snape, though we are not questioning you under order of the Ministry, it is crucial that you tell us the truth," Tonks spoke, trying so hard to control herself and her words.

"_I knew these two girls were up to something, but exactly where were they trying to go with this?_" Snape thought to himself as he looked at them intently. He was slightly surprised when he finally realized that Alexis Black and Nymphadora Tonks both resembled Bellatrix Lestrange so much. He wondered how come he never noticed this in all the years of being their teacher. "Pettigrew was never loyal to Voldemort. He feared him."

"And did this fear lead to him doing anything that would benefit Voldemort?" Alexis asked, looking at him with cold, dark eyes, almost matching his iciness.

"I'm not sure," Snape replied as he was forced to remember the past.

"Professor, please tell us what you know," Tonks spoke.

"_Pettigrew…Peter Pettigrew is dead and was killed by Sirius Black,_" Snape thought. "_Unless…these two plan on helping Black and that is why they are questioning me about Pettigrew. I had never quite paid much attention to that little rat…why would they?_" His eyes turned from Tonks, to Alexis slowly. "Peter Pettigrew, for a brief period of time, had been captured by Voldemort. It was Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange who captured him and handed him to Voldemort since he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix who resisted Voldemort. What happened between Voldemort and Pettigrew I am not aware of, but Voldemort did release him after only several days of being held captive."

Tonks had to admit that was quite helpful. They never knew that Pettigrew had been captured by the Lestranges and brought to Voldemort, and she doubt Sirius or Remus did either. Tonks glanced at Alexis who had that look in her eyes again, that look that obviously said she was deep in thought. Tonks spoke, using her skills of interrogation to get more information.

"And was Pettigrew's capture before the death of Lily and James Potter?"

Snape had to force himself not to wince at the woman's name. "Yes, right before."

"Do you know exactly who the person was that revealed Lily and James Potter's location under the Fidelius Charm?"

"No. The Ministry had stated that it was Sirius Black."

"Have you ever thought otherwise?" Alexis asked.

He began thinking about it. Since before, Snape always thought that it was highly unlikely Black would sell out James Potter. "_But this is Black we're talking about and he'd do just about anything…including selling out his best friends to the Dark Lord?_" He began to ponder on that subject. Snape finally saw where the two girls were going with this.

"Pettigrew…professor did you notice any difference in the way Peter Pettigrew was acting after he was freed from being Voldemort's captive?"

"No. He was just as fearful of Voldemort after as he was before."

"Do you know why Voldemort didn't simply kill Peter Pettigrew and why he simply allowed him to leave?" Tonks asked.

"No. Voldemort never truly trusted the Death Eaters and only told them what they needed to know," he replied. "You two don't plan on helping Sirius Black do you?"

"Well we're not going to get any more information," Alexis sighed to Tonks.

"You two knew where Black is hiding," Snape spoke, taking a step towards them. "And you haven't informed your superiors. You are knowingly toying with the safety of the Hogwarts students and especially, Harry Potter."

"_Wow. I'm surprised he actually worries about Harry's safety. And we all thought he completely despises the boy,_" Tonks thought. "We're simply investigating more into this very questionable case, professor. After all, you do know that the Ministry never gave Sirius Black a proper trial," Tonks replied carefully, never admitting they knew where Sirius is.

"Professor will you please repeat everything that you told us to Alastor Moody and a Wizengamot member as a solid statement once the case is reopened?" Alexis asked.

"Absolutely not."

"Professor Snape, what you know could greatly help Sirius Black," Tonks spoke. "Since you've already told us this, all you would have to do is repeat yourself."

"Help Black?" Snape replied, remembering all those years the man had tortured and humiliated him. "He betrayed his own friends. He's nothing but a hypocritical coward. And he nearly got me killed. Why would I help him?"

Tonks clenched her teeth and swallowed hard when she was about to snap at the man for calling Sirius a hypocritical coward. Luckily Alexis had held her back. Tonks took a deep breath and said, "Severus you'd be a fool to let an old school grudge get in the way of you saving an innocent man from a terrible fate."

"Call me a fool but I will never help Black. Everything he's done, he deserves to be in there. He was an arrogant and impudent fool who ravishes in the humiliation and pain of others. He does not deserve my help." Snape replied. "_I have to admit, these two are rather loyal for still wanting to help the convicted criminal. But his case is over and done with and he does not need my help. He wouldn't even accept my help so why would I have to lower myself to help him?_"

"Severus, be an adult will you?" Tonks replied but immediately wanted to slap herself. That definitely wouldn't help in convincing him to help Sirius.

"Nymphadora, out," Snape spoke. If she was going to chastise him, she might as well leave. He wasn't going to help Black, not after all the embarrassment and humiliation he'd had to face because of that man and his friends.

"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora," Tonks hissed, standing up and was about to say more when Alexis pulled her aside a little too roughly.

"Tonks, there's still a chance we could convince him some other time," Alexis whispered while still pulling Tonks towards the door.

She scowled at her cousin but nodded. Before Tonks left however, she turned around to look at Snape one more time and swore she spotted a little bit of guilt in his eyes when he looked at Alexis and her. "He's not an arrogant and impudent fool and he's definitely not a hypocritical coward. You'd know that to be true if you give him a chance and help him," Tonks spoke to him before leaving with Alexis. Again she spotted a small trace of guilt in his eyes and thought that maybe Alexis had been right when they could convince him to offer his help another time.

As he watched them leave, Snape felt a wind of guilt wash over him. What Alexis and Nymphadora had mentioned about Peter Pettigrew was questionable and they had strong reasons to believe that with his help, they could really help Black who was after all their cousin. But Snape wasn't going to help a man like him so easily, one who ravished in his embarrassment and humiliation. He would never forget all those things James Potter and Sirius Black had done to him, and not to mention Sirius Black knowingly played him into a prank that could have gotten him killed. A man like that didn't deserve his help…

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><p>Approaching the door to Remus' private office, Alexis and Tonks realized that without Remus inside, they wouldn't be able to get in. They'd try simply toying with the lock on the door, but their efforts would be futile as the Marauder and D.A.D.A. teacher wouldn't leave the safety of his private quarters to that of a simple metal lock. Tonks leaned on the door and sighed, looking at her raven haired cousin, wondering how they were going to gain Snape's help.<p>

"How do you plan on convincing him?" Tonks sighed.

"Well his only reason for not helping Sirius seems to be because he thinks Sirius doesn't deserve it. Basically, he thinks Sirius is a complete git. If we could prove him wrong…"

"Yes but Sirius will never be friendly towards Snape. Even I can't stay friendly with him for long, how will we ever prove to Snape that Sirius truly deserves to be saved?"

"I don't know. But surely Sirius will be smart enough to be nice to a man who could greatly help in proving him innocent, no matter what happened in their past."

"Nymphadora, Alexis, why didn't you come in and sit down to wait for me?" Remus asked as he appeared out from the secret passage way behind his moving bookshelf. "Why trouble yourself with waiting for me out here?"

"We couldn't get inside Remus. And it'd be rude to break your charms," Tonks replied, remembering she could simply counter them, being an auror and all.

"But I left my door unlocked tonight thinking you and Alexis would come in before me."

"Fail," Lexi sighed and shook her head, smirking as she simply turned the doorknob and pushed the wooden door open.

"Thinking _does_ complicate things," Tonks sighed as Remus chuckled and they walked into his office together. "Did you tell Sirius about how Snape could possibly tell him?"

"Yes and he wasn't too happy when he found out we'd have to ask for help from Severus of all people," Remus replied sitting down beside Tonks on his threadbare sofa as Alexis sat across from them, a smirk similar to Sirius' he'd seen earlier that night, playing across her face.

"He's not going to be happy when he knows that we'll have to keep asking Snape to offer us his help," Alexis replied, sitting back comfortably in the armchair.

"Snape told us what he knew, but he wouldn't repeat it to Mad-Eye or the Ministry," Tonks told Remus. "Following Wizengamot rules and regulations, for a witnesses' account to be taken seriously and marked as proper evidence, the witness has to speak with the Wizengamot member and also sign a paper saying his statements were true. If Snape won't repeat it, it's still just words, not evidence," Tonks sighed. "Snape still thinks Sirius is a complete git and doesn't deserve his help." She noticed that Remus had a small package in his hand and was about to question him what it was but before she had the chance, Remus was already questioning them.

"What did Severus know about Peter?"

"He said Pettigrew was captured by Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange for several days, _before_ Lily and James Potter's death. Did you notice this Remus?"

Remus shook his head. "No. We all thought he'd been sent on an Order mission for Dumbledore but he came back and said the mission was a failure. I can't remember exactly how many days he was gone, but it was before James and Lily's death."

"Well Snape said the Lestranges captured him and brought him to Voldemort because of his status as an Order member," Tonks spoke, faintly remembering Sirius and Remus mention the Order of the Phoenix being a resistance group against Voldemort. "Lexi and I believe that during that time, Pettigrew must have sold the Potters out to save his own life. This proves that Sirius never revealed the Potter's location to Voldemort, proving he was never a traitor."

"So now we must convince Severus to help Sirius, despite what he's done to him during our Hogwarts years," Remus sighed, knowing the task was harder than it sounded. Being a first-hand witness, Sirius had been a complete and utter git to Severus. It would take a miracle for Severus to be willing to help him. "Isn't there any other ways of taking Severus' statements? Since he told you everything, can't the Wizengamot take a portion of your memories and see to it through a Pensieve…or possibly use Legilimency?" Remus asked, desperate to help.

"Unfortunately no because memories could be altered and Legilimency could be resisted, especially because Tonks is an auror and I'm an Unspeakable, the ministry won't use it on us."

"I guess we'll just have to convince him to help us ourselves," Tonks sighed. "And we also have to look for Pettigrew while he's still in the castle."

"Yes. I will try to talk to Severus whenever I can," Remus spoke. "And I can keep an eye on Peter's location through use of the Marauder's Map. Alexis, you and Nymphadora can use the locators to find him as well and the Ghost necklace of yours to catch him. Sirius will be safe for now at the Shrieking Shack and we have until spring to either get Severus' help or catch Peter."

Both women nodded. "We'll have to work with that for now," Lexi sighed.

"By the way Alexis, happy birthday," Remus smiled. "And Sirius said happy birthday as well," he spoke and handed her the small package Tonks had noticed earlier.

"Oh he of all people should know Lexi wouldn't accept presents on her birthday," Tonks sighed, remembering the many times she'd tried to give Lexi a present on the fifteenth of December, only be have the present returned to her in the form of an ingenious prank.

"Really? Well I still think you should take this anyways," Remus smiled as she took it.

Curious and wondering what her currently in hiding Azkaban escapee of a cousin had given her, Alexis opened the small tan package. After she tore apart the horribly wrapped package and opened the lid, a paper swallow suddenly flew out of the box and fluttered around Alexis. Tonks beamed when she saw a genuine smile dance across her cousin's lips.

"See this goes to prove that Sirius isn't a complete git," Tonks smiled.

"He has his moments," Remus nodded, glad to see Alexis smile as well.

Lexi grinned broadly and caught the swallow carefully in her hand as its wings folded up and it rested in her hand for the time being. She looked back in the box and found a smaller box and a note written in Sirius' sloppy and almost illegible scrawl. She read the note out loud. "Give this box to Moony and have him open it together with you and Nymphie. It's an early Christmas present to all three of you from me. Have fun," she read.

"How thoughtful," Remus spoke, suspecting something was up. Sirius was never one to think ahead that long into the future. He took the smaller white box that Alexis handed him and opened it carefully with Alexis and Tonks looking in.

"Bloody hell," Remus and Tonks spoke together, stirring a snicker from Alexis.

"That's a very symbolic present. I think Sirius is getting impatient," Alexis spoke, smirking at Remus and Tonks who were blushing and realizing that they were sitting so close.

"At least he's recovering and becoming his old self again," Remus sighed, trying to hide his blush as he diverted his attention away from Tonks. He couldn't risk letting his already racing heart to beat even faster, especially in front of Alexis. Remus had already established that he was, pulling all logical thoughts aside, in love with Nymphadora Tonks. But with his logical mind, he knew that he simply couldn't love her, not when he could burden her and she would never fall for someone like him. "It's just like Sirius to give us something like that for the holidays," Remus sighed, setting the box down on the table, mentally reminding himself to dispose of it later.

Tonks couldn't take her eyes off the content inside the box. Sirius was known for his awful Christmas presents, but she didn't think it could be as bad as that. She tried not to gag as she spoke. "So now not only do we have to convince Snape to help Sirius…despite his unfriendly history with the man, we also have to catch Pettigrew as well."

"Unfortunately yes," Alexis sighed, realizing they just made more work for themselves.

"Bloody hell that's a god awful present," Tonks groaned.

"I think Sirius meant to tell us that he wants Peter…_dead or alive_…" Remus spoke as he looked at the dead rat carcass lying in the box. The innocent little rat did look a lot like Peter's animagus form, and Sirius made it very clear what he now thought of Peter. Remus winced slightly at the shoe print on the rat's abdomen, looking like his lanky friend had flat out stomped on the little thing. _Dead or alive…Sirius was getting desperate._


	15. Too Used to Your Skeptical Eyes

**Author's Note:**

So for this chapter, I was trying to steer a bit into character development, mostly in Tonks as I mentioned how she and her cousin used to be troublemakers in school. And well...tried...I'm not sure if I did a bad job or a good job. Also, notice that Remus is getting really sick...hmm -_- Anyways, do give me pointers, constructive criticism is always helpful and we writers savor in reviews haha xD Thanks for reading!

Oh also, well I've been on for a while, and there's still this one thing I don't know. Um...please don't laugh haha but what are C2s? I see them on my stats page but I have no idea what they are. Can someone please tell me? Thank you so much! ^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter 15 – Too Used to Your Skeptical Eyes<strong>

Feeling like a third year who was bored out of her mind, Tonks sat still at her seat in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She was quiet as Remus sat back at his desk, grading papers while the students were to read up on the precautions of a cursed object. To her left was Hermione Granger, her hairy poofy and a lovely shade of brown, her eyes scanning the book intently, making out every single detail from every word to every letter. It was typical Hermione. To her left was her cousin Alexis, lying under the concealment of the Ghost necklace while keeping a watch over the Marauder's Map Remus had given to her to look for Pettigrew. She seemed to be asleep and Tonks just hoped that Pettigrew didn't suddenly appear anywhere they could easily catch him and have that chance missed by her sleeping cousin. Tonks discreetly looked up towards the front of the room. Remus seemed drawn into his grading. Though he didn't show any emotions, just the look in his eyes alone, she could tell he was enjoying it. He was the first man she ever met who loved teaching that much.

As for Tonks, she turned back to her book and glared at it as if it was the one thing responsible for everything that was wrong or troublesome with her life. Seeing that she wasn't going to gain anything from glaring at the book, Tonks allowed her eyes to wander. Ironically, those dark green eyes of hers fell back on Remus. She looked at his gentle face closely, how he seemed tired and ill from the fast approaching full moon. He'd taken his second dose of the wolfsbane potion the night before and Tonks had to applaud him for not throwing it back up. She noticed his hair wasn't as grey as before, and could only conclude that perhaps Sirius' reappearance in the man's life was doing some good. However, Remus seemed a sickly pale, like he was running a quiet and invisible fever, despite his stress being lowered. She wondered what was wrong as she looked closer. Remus' paleness and shaky hands were odd.

She was suddenly startled when Remus rubbed the back of his neck and all in one motion, also turned to look up at her. Whether it was by chance or not, his eyes suddenly connected with hers and Tonks felt herself blush uncontrollably. Their gaze lingered for more than a few seconds and Tonks felt her heartbeat and body temperature rise at the same time. Remus' eyes were a soft blue and Tonks wondered what color her eyes were. A few seconds passed and Tonks broke free from their quiet spell. Her eyes darted away from him and she quickly turned her head back to her book just as Remus' eyes snapped back to his papers, not daring to look up again. Tonks felt flustered and her cheeks were burning. From her right she heard a soft snicker escape from her cousin's smirk and knew that Alexis wasn't asleep. In fact, she was very awake, so awake that she even caught the discreet flutter of a shy professor and a clumsy auror who were completely smitten by each other but refuse to believe it.

"He feels the same way about you, you know," Alexis whispered even though no one beside Tonks could hear her. "You don't have to be embarrassed."

Tonks was careful to shoot her cousin a discreet scowl as she couldn't straight out stand up and slap the witch across her arm, no matter how much she deserved it. "_Don't get your hopes up,_" she thought to herself. "_Lexi always does this in school, she teases you._"

"Take another look. The professor is blushing as mad as you are," Lexi spoke again, shifting to a sitting position from where she was on the bookshelf.

She couldn't help herself when her curious eyes glanced up again. Tonks looked up slowly and she caught his lips first, his lips that would quirk into a kind and gentle smile at times, and then a happy wolfish grin at times, and a mischievous smirk at times. Tonks' heart sped up. Then her eyes fell on his eyes again, and her heart almost stopped and ruptured when she realized that he was looking back.

Instinctively, Tonks turned away sharply just as Remus had done the same. She heard her cousin outright laugh from her place on the bookshelf and Tonks had never been more tempted her in life than to hex the bumbling witch into next week, seriously.

"_Never listen to Alexis Black,_" Tonks thought to herself, fighting back the sweet temptation of hexing or slapping or killing her cousin.

And finally, the bell rang. Tonks had never been more relieved to hear that bell sound, not even on the last day of her seventh year when she thought that would be the last time she'll ever hear the bells of Hogwarts. Well that thought had obviously gone down the toilet. "Saved by the bell," Tonks sighed under her breath as she gathered her stuff in a hurry and got up.

"Nymph…Tonks can I please speak with you after class?" Remus spoke in a voice shakier than normal and Tonks felt her books drop back down to her desk with a loud thud.

"_Not,_" Tonks thought as she openly gave Alexis a death glare. "Of course professor."

With Hermione being the last to leave, the door closed behind her and Alexis took off her Ghost necklace in a heartbeat, still smirking at Tonks with her signature Black smirk. Tonks growled at her cousin and made her way over to Remus, allowing her morph to slip back to her normal twenty-one year-old auror state. She always preferred to speak with him as her adult self rather than seem more like a child in his eyes.

"Oh I better be going," Alexis suddenly spoke which made Tonks turn her head sharply. "I promised Fred and George that I'd meet them on the seventh floor to help them find out what exactly is wrong with one of their inventions," she smirked. Alexis had to resist not to wink at Tonks, knowing that the auror and the professor would then be left alone. "And I think I'll pay Padfoot a visit tonight so I won't be seeing you later." Her smirk widened into a very mischievous grin. In fact, her grin was so mischievous that Tonks made note to worry. "And I didn't see Pettigrew anywhere we could get to him on the map. He's hiding around at Hagrid's hut and Hagrid has been in there the entire time, doing who knows what," she finished, handing Remus the Marauder's Map. "See you," she winked at her cousin and disappeared out the door quicker than Tonks ever could manage.

"_Lexi could pass as an auror in stealth,_" she thought to herself. "So Remus uh…what did you need to speak with me about?"

"I just finished this book I borrowed from you a while ago and thought I'd give it back," he smiled wanly as he handed her back a book titled _Gone too Far_. "Oh and I found some of your comments inside to be rather amusing and reassuring," he smiled.

At his words, Tonks openly blushed. Her blush appeared so quickly that she wasn't even able to hide it or lower its redness with her morphing. She clearly remembered that while reading that book, she was sure to make note her opinions on werewolves, especially mentioning a certain kind and gentle werewolf professor who was her good friend. Said professor obviously saw these little comments, and though he took amusement and reassurance from them, Tonks still found it embarrassing that some of those comments had been seen by him.

"Oh um…did you enjoy it?" she asked, completely flustered by him.

"Yes, quite. It gave a very realistic and true representation of werewolves and you were right, it wasn't as biased as most other works on what I am," Remus replied, looking at her eyes with question. He wondered if he was doing something to make her act that way. She seemed more reserved than normal. He wondered if he was making her uncomfortable because she downright looked about to explode with embarrassment or something. "Uh is something wrong?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing," she replied a little too quickly. "What made you think something is wrong?" she asked, feigning complete innocence. "_Of course something is bloody wrong. For a reason that I'm afraid to admit to without putting all logical thoughts aside, I am now unable to look at you without blushing! And Lexi is just having a swell time with this all!_"

"I don't know you seem kind of…uncomfortable around me. Tonks if the fact that I'm a werewolf is catching up on you there's nothing wrong about it."

She was so tempted to roll her eyes. "Oh you're not going there again," she sighed. "_Honestly, was he really thinking that? That after everything we've been through I'd still be wary of him being a werewolf?_" Tonks' fingers were subconsciously on his knuckles as she spoke. "Like I said, when I first saw you as a werewolf I was completely surprised. But after everything we've been through Remus, I don't care that you're a werewolf. For god's sake I've seen you as a wolf twice!" she spoke with emphasis on the fact that she doesn't care.

"Alright," Remus nodded, feeling a strange feeling of happiness when she reassured him that she simply didn't care about his lycanthropy. His heart danced again, and Remus made sure to hide any blush he had behind his smile. "I guess I'd better let you go to dinner now."

"Actually I think I'll do a round of my own patrolling. I want to pay Hagrid a visit to see if I can get anything on Pettigrew," she replied, calming herself down.

"Ok, please be careful. You never know what you might find on Hogwarts' grounds," Remus nodded and tried a muster a smile.

She grinned a very broad grin and turned around to leave. Her pale, heart-shaped face, her brilliant grin, her dark green eyes, made Remus' heart leap at that moment and there he was, mentally scolding himself yet again. "_It's nothing. She doesn't feel the same way about you so just keep quiet and save yourself the embarrassment. You are just friends and it'd be selfish to ask for any more than friendship from such a promising young woman._"

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><p>Really, Tonks was getting fed up with it all. She held the locator tight in her hands, rolling her eyes as she trailed around Hagrid's hut, establishing that the rat had to be inside and from what she could see through the sleeping Hagrid's window, he had to have been hiding in one of those clay jars sitting beside the settee. Tonks rolled her eyes. Why did Hagrid have to sleep right beside the window? Normally she could just <em>accio<em> the bloody jar over, grab the rat, and then hold it in triumph that she finally caught the lying traitor, but now, life just had to be so bloody difficult. Tonks had to resist from huffing as she never knew how deep of a sleeper Hagrid is and was worried she'd wake him up.

"_Great, standing here, staring at it, and I could do absolutely nothing,_" she thought, her eyes glaring at the set of jars. "_I'm an auror for Merlin's sake. If Mad-Eye knows that I've been made a sitting duck because of something stupid like this, he'd have my head and scold the living daylights out of me!_"

The half giant sleeping by the window let out a great big snore that shocked Tonks and pulled her out from her thoughts. She sighed slowly, scared, thinking that Hagrid had woken up. She had forgotten to take the Ghost necklace from Alexis and she couldn't ever disillusion herself so quickly.

"_No use standing around here. Maybe I'll give it a try. Wigardium Leviosa_," she thought as she took her wand out and casted it carefully.

First Tonks decided to try the jar that was deep violet. She levitated it carefully, edging it towards the window with as much coordination as she could muster. After a few very slow seconds, the jar made it to the window, and she had to spend another few very slow seconds to get it carefully pass the sleeping Hagrid without dropping it on his head. When the jar landed in her hands, she felt a surge of relief.

Tonks opened the lid and her sighed turned into a frown.

"_Nothing. Dammit,_" she cursed, setting down to the ground and prepared to try another. Tonks would levitate everything out of Hagrid's hut if she had to just to find that rat.

The next jar was of a puke-like green color, the second out of the three jars lying on the table. Tonks knew it had to either be this one or the last tan colored one, but she hoped it would be this one. She didn't know how long she could stand carefully levitating a jar above a sleeping half giant's head without messing anything up. The jar was coming over slowly and it crossed the center of the room when something suddenly startled her.

"Nymphadora," a cold and dry voice called, but didn't sneer.

"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora!" Tonks snapped instinctively but her surprised had caused her to drop the jar. "Bloody hell!" Tonks cursed again, loudly. She jumped when she heard another snore from Hagrid and covered her mouth. "_Bloody hell. I could have just broken into his house without him even noticing!_" Tonks thought and wanted to kill herself when she'd wasted such a perfect chance to catch the stupid rat.

"What are you doing sneaking around Hagrid's hut? If I didn't know better I'd say you were _up to something_," Snape spoke as she turned around to face him, her heart beating fast with the same thrill and excitement she had for breaking the rules and not getting caught as a kid.

Tonks wanted to scoff and roll her eyes. If Alexis was there, her bumbling cousin would have beaten her to it already. When they were younger, whenever Snape would catch them in the middle of some prank, he'd say almost the exact same thing. Suddenly Tonks felt four or five years younger and she felt a strong desire to stick her tongue out and run away from the dreary potions master, something she would have done in a heartbeat had it been a few years back.

"I'm rat hunting," Tonks replied, impressed with herself by how conversational and calm her tone was. "_Lexi you've got some competition in this field,_" she wanted to smirk to herself.

"Really?" Snape replied, his voice somehow not as offensive as it had always been. "And it just so happens that you're not on your proper patrol route, sneaking around in secrecy and all. You are up to something and I'm going to find out," he spoke with solid determination in his eyes. For a moment, Tonks thought he already knew.

"_But if Snape knows, why is he feigning innocence? The slime ball would turn me in the first chance he gets. He's Severus Snape, hater of Tonks, all Blacks who aren't Death Eaters, and basically anything and everything else that isn't a Slytherin._"

"What are you staring at me for?" Snape asked and for that moment, Tonks thought his voice sounded _normal_, not frankly speaking, Snape-ish.

"Nothing. Well what are you going to do professor now that you've caught me _sneaking around_?" she asked, trying hard to imitate Lexi's dryness and succeeding quite well.

"Rest assured that if you were still one of my students, I'd have given you a month's worth of detention without a second thought. But seeing that you aren't…there's nothing I can do. Just don't get yourself ruined because of something stupid or I'd be laughing and calling you a complete and ignorant fool."

"_Snape laughing…now I'm rather tempted to get myself ruined and see what happens. And was he just giving me a simple warning based off of worry? Bloody hell,_" Tonks had to put on a face that Alexis referred to as her auror mask, where she hid all emotions in the field of work, to prevent herself from smirking and raising an eyebrow at Snape. "Thank you professor, I'll take that to mind," Tonks replied.

"Now get back to the castle because adult or not, no one should be sneaking around outside the grounds at this time of night," Snape spoke and Tonks was still amused that she kept seeing a human expression on his face that night instead of his usual dry and Snape-ish looks.

"Will do. But before I go, professor. Would you help Sirius if he wasn't a complete and utter git?" she asked, needing to give it a try. She'd never seen a human expression on Snape and maybe tonight would be the night a miracle would happen. After all, Tonks had just gotten pass a sleeping half giant even after she shattered a jar and cursed very loudly.

Severus Snape didn't speak for a long while as he looked at her. Tonks almost thought that he hadn't heard her and she was about to ask again until he suddenly spoke. In a dry and very Snape-ish voice masking an underlying emotion inside, Tonks found _some_ hope in his words. "If by some miracle you and your cousin Alexis could prove to me that Black isn't an arrogant and ignorant fool who revels in the humiliation and embarrassment of others, then perhaps I would give it a second thought," Snape replied, and with that he turned away from her and walked away briskly, his black cloak billowing beside him as he glided in that same, Snape-ish manner that no one could ever imitate.

He took slow but wide strides away from the pink haired auror that had once been a pink haired little brat barely able to pass his N.E.W.T. class. He was sure she would have failed if it had not been the help of her rebellious but rather brilliant cousin and various methods for driving the knowledge of how to properly brew a potion into any minds. Even Severus Snape had to admit, for those who were considered blood traitors of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, they really stuck tight together. He saw more of a sisterly bond between Alexis and Nymphadora than he saw between Bella and Cissy. And then there was Nymphadora and Alexis' sheer determination to prove their cousin's innocence, even if it meant sacrificing their job and possibly freedom to do so for him. Snape scoffed to himself. A man like Sirius Black didn't deserve cousins or rather family like that. But surely if the rebellious and stubborn, bull headed troublemaking duo of their time was willing to risk so much for a man, he couldn't be all bad…

"_Stop it Severus. You're doubting yourself again. Black is nothing but an impudent, ignorant bastard who doesn't deserve your help, especially after what he'd done to you in school._" A more logical and grudge bearing side of Severus Snape spoke to him. And Snape allowed his thoughts to settle at that with hopeful finality.

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><p>Back inside the castle, Tonks barely got pass the entrance hall when she was suddenly startled by Mad-Eye. He'd been waiting for her in the Entrance Hall, hiding out under the many shadows casted from the statues and columns during that odd time of day. When the gruff, grizzly hand of his grabbed her shoulder's, Tonks immediately turned around and nearly stabbed his only human eye with her hand. But Mad-Eye didn't flinch. Instead he seemed to be growling at her. Tonks wondered what was putting her old mentor so off as she pocketed her wand.<p>

"You can be awfully sneaky I'll give you that," Mad-Eye suddenly spoke roughly.

She didn't even have to act. Tonks was completely bemused. "What? What are you talking about?" she asked, noticing that his gruff hand was still on her shoulder.

"Where did you come from?"

"I was just checking out the school grounds when Lexi's locator went off."

"The locator was set to look for Black?" Moody asked and it was then that Tonks spotted suspicion in his eye and tone of voice.

"Yeah, I don't know how to bloody set it," she replied, being completely honest at that.

She heard him grunt and grumble something under his breath. The only part she actually caught and could make out into a word was the word _bullheaded_. "And where is Alexis? Why is her locator with you?"

That was almost too easy. Tonks and Alexis have both been in various sticky situations before during their times at school and how to react the right way and have their act match up almost came as a second nature to her. "Lexi said something about going to help the twins with a prank and I heard she had to go buy something at Hogsmeade," Tonks replied innocently, being carefully to mix a part of the truth with a part of the lie.

Moody grumbled again and Tonks knew that her old mentor wasn't going to let her go that easily because unlike Hogwarts school teachers, Mad-Eye Moody was infamous for his paranoia and _constant vigilance_. Tonks only hoped that whatever happened next, they'd save Sirius from the fate of being caught by Moody, again.

"Come with me," he grunted quickly. "We're having a small meeting with Silvia."

Without questions, Tonks did as followed. She walked beside him, knowing her old mentor too well to be careful to walk in eyesight of him less he got even more paranoid and decided to hex her or something of the sort. Tonks was wary as well, keeping constant vigilance. If she knew Mad-Eye right, when he felt he was onto something, then by any means necessary that something would turn into something useful. She feared he might use Veritaserum on her after all his talk about wanting to use it to simplify the case. And Tonks knew that unlike the Unspeakables, she couldn't resist Veritaserum as easily. After a moment of thinking about what Mad-Eye could be planning to do with her, Tonks felt an urge to laugh and shake her head. He'd taught her well, keeping constant vigilance, even against him.

"Honestly, I knew we shouldn't have put you and Alexis on this mission," Moody grumbled with much more clarity now as they ascended the first floor staircase. "But somehow both Scrimgeour and Dumbledore think that you two would be beneficial to the job. Well I see no benefits except having to babysit two reckless troublemakers," he continued, and Tonks felt herself smirk. Being called a reckless troublemaker by McGonagall made her feel clever for outwitting the woman. Being called a reckless troublemaker by Snape made her feel rebellious towards the man. But being called a reckless troublemaker by Mad-Eye made her feel outright proud that she could be giving the legendary auror that much trouble.

"You know, I feel rather proud that Lexi and I are this much trouble to you."

"Wipe that grin off your face," he snapped. "You're in serious trouble now."

"I kinda figured that when you stopped me by the door and began grumbling," Tonks spoke. She was smirking slightly as he led her into what she knew was an empty classroom. Inside the room, she noticed that it was bear except for a few old desks and chairs, a scratched up completely unusable chalkboard, and several empty bookshelves collecting dust with an encyclopedia volume here and there, spider webs feasting upon their cover.

"Hey Tonksie, get busted too?" Alexis Black smirked from where she sat on the settee beside Silvia in the far corner of the room. Tonks almost had to get a double take when Alexis' voice and smirk were identical to the ones they wore back in school, whenever they got caught.

"Yep, whatcha here for?" Tonks replied casually, smirking at the glint of amusement in her cousin's eyes. "Oh wait, I'm guessing same thing I am?"

"Stop playing around. We have no time for your little reminiscent of the past," Moody growled as Silvia straightened herself and shot Tonks with one of her coldest business stares.

"Tonks we've been tracking you and Alexis for several days," Silvia sighed. "Ever since Augustus Rookwood caught you and Professor Lupin sneaking around in the dungeons, Moody has decided to keep a close tab on you. We've found that you and Alexis are both sneaking around the castle and its grounds, even after your patrol shift. We've also found that you would often leave the castle grounds when Kingsley and Bode spotted you in Hogsmeade once. Somehow you managed to do so without alerting us or the dementors, and then returning back to the castle without so much as a disturbance. Something is up, and we want to know what it is."

She should have known better than to trust Rookwood. He'd tell of course, not directly but he'd still tell. And knowing Mad-Eye, he had an eye for the fine details.

"We're not up to anything we're just sneaking around up to our old tricks," Alexis sighed, sounding annoyed as she crossed her arms. Tonks usually could read Lexi's body language and she knew that soon Mad-Eye and Silvia came to understand as well, but she had to hand it to Lexi, even Tonks was convinced.

"Honestly Mad-Eye, Lexi and I are adults who still wants to have some fun with pranks so we had to pay a visit to Hogsmeade often to buy the stuff for mischief making."

"So why do you often need the Ghost necklace and locator?" Mad-Eye snapped, his eyes turning to Lexi. Tonks held her breath as she remembered Mad-Eye hadn't known about her second locator and she hoped it'd remain that way. "I caught Marrick out on several nights where he didn't have either with him and could only keep vigilance under the name of a prefect."

"_Oh sweet Merlin,_" Tonks thought but Alexis seemed unfazed.

"Kingston," she growled. "I needed the Ghost necklace to escape, why do you think we haven't gotten caught with our pranks?" she smirked.

"And we of course need the locators to find out where people are. Those are nifty little things," Tonks added, improvising and getting back into the feel of her old school days.

"_Way to go Tonksie,_" Lexi thought, having to resist from a large grin at her quick cousin.

"That still doesn't explain why we found you hanging around with Lupin so often lately. You three could be helping Black into the castle," Moody spoke.

"Wow Mad-Eye, I thought you kept vigilance over this. Didn't you know that Tonks kinda fancies the dear old professor? And why would the professor have reasons to sneak Sirius Black into the castle…unless there's something you're not telling us about," Alexis smirked just as Tonks blushed intensified.

Her blush was real and genuine and as a woman, Silvia knew that flustered look the moment it crossed her eyes. Tonks didn't even have to act, and Silvia and Mad-Eye played right into Alexis' hands when they began to believe Tonks. Lexi was careful to bend the truth with the lie and now had turned the questioning back on Mad-Eye and Silvia. Obviously the two senior aurors knew something they thought they didn't, and Tonks didn't let the chance go.

"You know something, don't you Mad-Eye?" Tonks asked.

"No. You better watch yourself Nymphadora. If we find out you're helping a convicted murderer get into the castle to harm the kids, mentee or not, even if you are my own daughter I would catch you and bring you to court," Moody threatened and Tonks knew better than to doubt him. If he had a daughter and she broke the rules, she'd be so buggered.

"I'm not helping a convicted murderer into the castle," Tonks spoke, again bending truth and lie together. "But what are you hiding? You and Silvia know something we don't."

"And I have a pretty good feeling that it's of significant information," Alexis added, continuing their act as the table was now turned on Mad-Eye and Silvia.

Tonks noticed Silvia give Moody a questioning look, her dark eyes on her exotic face framed by dark brown sharp curly hair, the expression on her face was practically screaming _yes, yes, yes_ to all of them. "We should tell them. They're mature and they won't be prejudice."

Moody grunted and Tonks recognized that grunt to be of an unsure manner.

She was so tempted to smirk but for the sake of their act, she had to fake innocence. Tonks knew Alexis was fighting hard not to smirk as for the raven haired woman, her smirk was almost uncontrollable to her. "What are you hiding? What should we be mature and not be prejudice about?" Tonks asked, knowing exactly where the conversation was going.

"Remus Lupin had been friends with Sirius Black," Moody spoke grimly and Tonks feigned a look of pure shock. She was so impressed with herself she wanted to jump. "I knew them both from long before in an organization formed by Dumbledore," he spoke carefully. Obviously Mad-Eye never knew that Sirius was quite open about the Order of the Phoenix to his two favorite cousins. "Lupin and Black were best friends. And…though I trust Lupin, keeping constant vigilance, we aren't ruling out the fact that Lupin is helping Black."

"Now why would Professor Lupin help Sirius Black into the castle? Sure they're friends but after what Black's done, the level-headed professor wouldn't help him," Alexis spoke, crossing her arms, fanning after Tonks' act as the duo played the whole scene out rather nicely.

Tonks was impressed with herself and her cousin. "_Note to self: Make a tag team with Lexi and go into acting. Makes big money._"

"Because…" Silvia began, but she sighed. "I only found this out quite recently from Moody," she spoke, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Because?" Tonks and Alexis spoke together.

"Remus Lupin is a werewolf," Moody spoke. "I'd hate to sound prejudiced and I'm not judging Lupin, but as a werewolf, there is a chance that he could be helping Black as Black is said to be a follower of Voldemort and werewolves supported him."

"_And bingo_," Tonks could just picture Alexis smirking as she herself grinned broadly. Though she hated to be mentioned the fact that Remus was after all a werewolf, a dark creature, she had to keep playing on with this fact and use it to aid her and drive suspicion away.

"But that's crazy," Alexis spoke, throwing up her arms. "Remus doesn't seem anything like a werewolf. Are you sure you've got it right?"

Of course Tonks knew Alexis might have known before anyone else when she told Tonks and Remus that during one of her private researches, she came across the list of werewolves in the registry and remembered seeing Remus' name. Tonks had to bite her lips to look nervous as she held back her smirk. And next she planned on playing the card that Alexis seemed to be thinking in her eyes. After going through so much with someone, they came to understand each other, especially during times when they were caught. Tonks saw Alexis stroke her chin with her thumb and recognized it from their old years and well thought out plans during Hogwarts. Alexis then openly gave Tonks a pointed look, making sure that Mad-Eye and Silvia saw them. Tonks followed cue naturally and looked guilty of _something_.

"You know something," Mad-Eye's ever so vigilant eye caught them, thankfully.

"Tonks?" Lexi spoke accursedly.

And then Silvia knew, because one time Tonks had let it slip to Silvia that she openly worried about Remus, during times of the moon. "Tonks," Silvia began slowly. "You knew Remus is a werewolf, didn't you?"

She didn't even have to fight it. "Yes," she replied softly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Alexis spoke, sounding crossed.

"Because…I…I promised I'd be his friend and I trusted him," Tonks replied, morphing away her blush and any obvious sign of a rise in temperature. "He wouldn't help Sirius into the castle. He just wouldn't," Tonks continued to speak, channeling some of her fluster correctly.

"Well as long as you're not prejudiced against him," Moody grumbled. "Tonks we need you to keep a close eye on Lupin. Stick close to him. Other than protecting Harry Potter which you're still held for, I want you to do whatever you have to in order to find out what Remus Lupin is up to. If he really isn't helping Black, report to me with evidence."

"_And bingo. Now I can still stick around Remus without seeming suspicious and we also completely convinced Silvia and Mad-Eye we were just two innocent young women minding our own business until they told us about Remus being a werewolf. That was supposed to be news. We really would have made it big in acting._" Tonks nodded obediently for once. "Ok. And Lexi, sorry," she made an apologetic face.

Unlike Silvia and Mad-Eye who couldn't read Lexi's communication through her eyes, Tonks could. She could see that Alexis was about ready to burst at the seams with laughter from Tonks' apologetic look and she had to commend that her cousin hadn't fallen into fits of hysteria. "It's fine," Alexis replied in a low voice, sounding annoyed as she masked her laughter with a huff.

"Alright, that's enough for tonight. We've established they knew nothing and we actually now just gave them a reason to worry," Silvia sighed.

Mad-Eye grunted but gave up anyways. "Take care and don't be reckless," he told them as he clonked out of the room, his uneven footsteps becoming long and quick strides.

"Really, be careful you two. You're known to be reckless," Silvia reminded them again.

"Silvia, you're not prejudiced of Remus, are you?" Tonks asked.

Silvia gave Lexi a small look of discomfort, thinking the young witch didn't like werewolves. But she still nodded. "No Tonks," Silvia replied. "Remus was my friend and I knew him well enough to say that he's as good a bloke as any. His lycanthropy is just something he has to live with and we shouldn't burden him anymore." She gave them a faint smile and disappeared out the door, closing it after she left.

When they were both alone, Tonks and Alexis faced each other. Tonks was about to speak when Lexi suddenly held a hand up and took out her wand. Tonks noticed Alexis wave her wand in a very complicated pattern as she muttered a very long spell incantation under her breath. After a moment, Tonks felt like something light and feathery had fallen over her head.

"What'd you do?" Tonks asked, looking around to see no change.

"Undetectable silencing and secrecy charms. Knowing your old mentor and his bouts about constant vigilance, he'd be wanting to listen in on what we say afterwards." Alexis smirked. "Unspeakable's honor. Now talk, were we good or what?" she grinned.

"We were so good. I was worried for a moment, wondering if we could still pull off what we pulled in school, but you were great," Tonks replied, grinning broadly.

"Like I'd ever forget our trade," Alexis smirked. "Now come on. Since I'm not the one who fancies the werewolf professor, I'll be the one keeping track of Padfoot and his safety. Mad-Eye and Silvia would be less suspicious of me so I can handle sneaking in and out to make sure Padfoot behaves himself. While you and Remus can continue your little trysts while catching Pettigrew," she smirked.

"Tryst? What? Did Rookwood go and tell everyone everything?"

"Pretty much," Lexi smirked. "He's an Unspeakable but when it comes to something he could legally spread around without losing his mind, he'd make sure everyone knew in a heartbeat. It's rather tempting to reveal a secret when you're forced so keep many for so long," Alexis replied. "And hey, at least now if you come close to getting caught, you could just place yourself on top of Remus and fake that you're _busy_."

"Alexis Lydia Black!"

"Nope, none of it. Stop calling me by my entire name," she spoke, shaking her head and teasing Tonks. "Now I think you should go tell Remus what's going on. We need to watch ourselves better and honestly keep an eye out for Mad-Eye, old paranoid codger."

"Right away. Be careful Lexi and make sure Padfoot is safe too," Tonks spoke and nodded her head. Alexis too had a keen eye for the fine details, but unlike Mad-Eye, her sense came naturally, not from a very useful but sometimes creepy magical mechanical eye. After Alexis had lifted her seal, Tonks made her way out of the unused classroom and headed up to Remus, non-verbally setting the locator in her pocket to keep an eye out for Mad-Eye in case he decided to be suspicious and follow her.

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><p>For some odd reason, Tonks always found herself standing in front of Remus' door, at the oddest of times. It was the middle of the evening and there she was, about to knock. However, as every single day passed them by, her feelings for him grew more and more. Now, as she stood at his door and the realization of being alone with him dawned upon her, Tonks began to feel flustered and nervous. Her heart was racing way too fast to be legal.<p>

Her pale knuckles drummed upon the wood of his door.

"Who is it?" Came a faint voice from inside.

"It's me, Tonks. Can I come in? I've got some news," Tonks spoke.

"The door's open Nymphadora." Instinctively, Tonks wanted to yell at him for calling her by her dreadful first name, but hearing the faintness and softness of his voice, Tonks didn't have the heart to raise her voice at him for one second.

Inside the room, Remus was lying on his long threadbare sofa sloppily, his jumper unbuttoned and his hair a complete mess. Tonks' eyebrows raised slightly, seeing his scarred chest still looking so nice. Tonks' heart raced faster and she felt her body temperature rise rapidly. She had to swallow hard and keep herself calm. He wasn't sweating, but he seemed hot and desperate for some air. His windows were all open, which was odd. It was winter, bloody freezing outside, and there he laid, about to break out in cold sweat.

"Remus, are you alright?" she asked him softly, bending down beside him.

Upon seeing the pale, heart-shaped face with bright bubblegum pink hair enter his vision, Remus' color returned to him significantly. His eyes fell into her dark green eyes and he could feel himself give her a wan smile. Remus wanted to show her more, but he knew he couldn't and there were so many reasons as to why he couldn't.

"Hello Nymphadora," he mustered softly.

Tonks felt worried. Just in class that day, he looked fine. Well ill and a lot paler than normal, even for pre-moon symptoms, but he was still standing. She pushed back his fringe, running her fingers briefly through his soft light brown hair that was flecked with tiny traces of grey. His scar crossed chest moved up and down in steady and even breaths, but the pale and sickly complexion on his face made her worry and edge herself closer. Tonks saw Remus blush and instinctively pulled herself back, wondering if she was making him uncomfortable.

Remus noticed that she pulled herself back from him, trying hard to be discreet, but he paid so much attention to her that discreet was never a subtle word. Remus wondered if he was making Tonks uncomfortable. Perhaps he should talk to her about it, that even though his heart raced for her, he was level-headed enough to know that between them there could only be friendship, simple and gentle friendship.

"Remus how are you feeling? Are you sick? Let me close the windows."

"No, I just feel really hot and those windows are doing some help lowering my body temperature," Remus sighed, managing a wry smile.

"Is it pre-moon symptoms?"

"I believe so. I just took my third batch of wolfsbane and suddenly I felt all hot and panicky," Remus replied, resting one arm over his forehead. "Maybe I'm just feeling under the weather since it is winter after all."

"I think you should close the window," Tonks spoke, beginning to shiver. "You may not realize it but you could catch a cold by leaving them open. And I don't think catching a cold or a fever during transformation would be very smart."

"No, I guess not," Remus sighed and Tonks raised her wand non-verbally to close them.

"Oh and Remus, I came to warn you that Mad-Eye and Silvia had suspected us, but Lexi and I played our old cards and we drove down their suspicion. Though now we have to limit our meetings with Padfoot. Lexi will take care of him while you and I will be searching the castle for Pettigrew. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't, thank you Nymphadora. Be careful though, you two could end up in big trouble and neither Sirius nor I want that," Remus spoke in a velvet soft voice.

"No worries, Lexi and I have had loads of experience with getting out of trouble," Tonks smiled, her smile wan as she looked at Remus' features. He wasn't shaking or anything, but he looked sick and fever-ish. She sat down beside him, engaging in endless small talks as their conversations flowed on and on, endlessly without stop. It always happened to them when they talked, their conversations would just go on and on and on without end. Tonks noticed his soft smile and sensed an even greater softness, kindness, warmth, and appreciation in his eyes. She smiled. Her smile was brighter now and she noticed Remus brighten up significantly. They continued to talk as Tonks kept a close watch over Remus. Perhaps he was just catching a fever, but a fever so close to the moon wasn't a good thing.


	16. Wolfsbane Can Work Both Ways

**Author's Note:**

So I was writing this chapter, simply planning on having a normal, uneventful Christmas for them since they all needed a break...but then the story wrote itself...oh and by the way, in the later scene, the last scene with Remus, I (borrowed? based?)got the idea from Kuroida's A Year to be Remembered. Do read her story, it's very good. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! ^_^ And P.S., is it snowing anywhere else because where I live, it's snowing and it's NOT NORMAL for it to snow in bloody October!

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><p><strong>Chapter 16 – Wolfsbane Can Work Both Ways<strong>

From their window, Tonks and Alexis could see the snow falling outside as students began leaving the school, heading off for the holidays. Tonks was about to leave for a very well deserved vacation as well, but unlike the students she wasn't taking a break from learning, she was taking a break from a very complicated mission for her work. The snow continued to fall, catching onto the edges of the glass on their window and Tonks was slightly distracted.

"Hey, hurry up will you," Alexis smirked, giving Tonks a reminding nudge. "We have to leave by six today. If we don't make it to Andromeda's dinner at seven she'll have our heads. Most importantly she'll have my head because I'm the older one and am supposed to be responsible in reminding you," she laughed.

"My mum's not going to rip your head off if we're late," Tonks sighed, smirking at her cousin as unlike Lexi who with a wave of her wand had all her clothes fold themselves, Tonks had to do so by hand. "In fact, I sometimes think she prefers you as a daughter over me."

"Don't say that," Alexis laughed. "See this is the kind of thing you say that annoys the living daylights out of her."

"It's true," Tonks laughed, making an odd look as she tried to figure out how to fold a jumper so that it was straight and neat. "By the way, how are we going to communicate with Padfoot while we're on break? What if something happens to him while we're away? Mad-Eye had the shifts changed so that while we're away, he, Silvia, and Rookwood would still be here and they'll leave when we get back."

"Don't worry. Remus will be here to make sure Padfoot behaves himself. And I've messed with the locators so that they all guide them to Pettigrew instead of Padfoot. Rookwood, though is an Unspeakable, is too daft to figure out how to do anything with the locators except use it correctly. Blimey, even Bode wouldn't even know how to take it apart."

"I shouldn't have even bothered to ask," Tonks smiled, giving up on folding her clothes and simply shoving them into her bag. "What do you suppose we say to my mum? She'd love to know what exactly is going on with her favorite cousin. And she never entirely believed that Sirius had gone mad you know."

"You're not suggesting we tell her that Sirius is hiding in the Shrieking Shack under our protection while searching for Peter Pettigrew, the real murderer and traitor, are you?"

"You're saying we shouldn't?"

"To be on the safe side, we shouldn't. If something goes wrong and your mum knows about this too, she could get in trouble with the Ministry as well. I don't think you'd want to risk that with your mother."

"True," Tonks nodded, trying to close the zipper entirely in her overstuffed bag.

"We can give her a surprise once we prove his innocence with the Wizengamot."

"Confidence, are we?" Tonks smiled, still struggling with her bag's zipper.

"I've re-looked everything over. As long as we catch Pettigrew and have at least one reliable source claiming that they believe in Sirius being innocent, which that source could be Dumbledore, we're good to go," she smirked. "Remus said so himself that Pettigrew can't resist Veritaserum and so his confessions will come out simply and easily. Also, if we have Snape's help on his statements in what he heard as a Death Eater, it will further help Sirius' case."

"What if the Wizengamot doesn't accept his statements and deem him as being under some sort of influence or saying his mind is warped by fear and then rule out what he has to say?" Tonks asked, her constant vigilance auror self surfacing.

"Tonksie, why did I become an Unspeakable when I can survive perfectly well as an auror?" Alexis sighed.

"Because Unspeakables don't have to run around and you want to be the biggest contradiction on the face of the Earth?" Tonks teased. Unspeakables are quiet most of the time, Alexis is not. Unspeakables are gloomy and brooding, Alexis is not. Unspeakables don't speak about the nature of their work, Alexis does all the time.

Her raven haired cousin mock scowled at her and sighed, shaking her head. "You're a brilliant auror but in my eyes you'll always be my silly little cousin," she sighed. "Unspeakables have access to the Thought Chamber," she nodded her head like speaking with a child. "You with me here? In the Thought Chamber of the Department of Mysteries, there is something, I don't really know how to explain to you, but that something is more truthful than any confessions, any truth telling serums. That's what the Wizengamot uses to make their final judgment in complicated cases."

"How come the Wizengamot never used this one Sirius twelve years ago?"

"Well they never gave him a proper trial and there were no other witnesses. And to use this, it requires quite a hefty load of paperwork. But…now you've got connection to the Department of Mysteries," Alexis smirked and winked. "And honestly Tonks, do you need any help with that?" she asked, watching as Tonks still struggled with the bag's zipper.

"No, no, I got this," Tonks huffed, determined to do something right.

"You're so stubborn. Just like how you won't let Remus know you fancy him just because you stubbornly think that he'll never have mutual feelings for you."

"What are you talking about Lexi?" Tonks huffed again.

"Sirius told me a lot of things when I came to check on him," the black haired woman smirked. "Including how you and Remus both seem to fancy the pants off each other but both are quote 'too much of a noble prat to accept that the other fancies them just the same', unquote."

"Who said I fancy Remus?" Tonks questioned, trying to morph away her blush but failing extravagantly at the feat.

"I'm your cousin. I know what's up when I see the way you two look at each other."

Tonks grumbled, still trying to hide her blush and asked, "How does Sirius know?"

"Well he and I were talking weren't we?" said Alexis, jumping up from where she sat on her bed as Tonks attempted to smack her upside the head. Tonks was using the excuse of hitting her cousin to hide her blush as she chased Alexis around the room, smacking her whenever she got the chance. The young woman really did deserve it to Tonks' eyes.

* * *

><p>Students were leaving at different times through the Hogwarts Entrance Hall, all heading off to meet up with their parents for a holiday back home. The evening was quickly approaching as the sun began to set. In the background, she could hear the loud and low moaning chimes of the clock tower as it reached five o'clock in the afternoon. Alexis was smiling softly as she walked beside Marrick, talking with him animatedly. He had his bag hanging around his shoulders with the little belongings that he took with him to Hogwarts when they were first assigned that mission, and a bright, mirthful smile on his face.<p>

"If I know you as well as I think, when you return from vacation, during that time, you'd cease the chance that Moody and Silvia aren't in the castle to full on work on whatever it is you and Tonks are up to, am I correct?" Marrick grinned charismatically as he leaned in closer to Alexis while walking close beside each other.

"I never thought I'd admit to this, but you do know me pretty well," Lexi replied, smirking. "And if I know you as well as I think, you're just going to go home and have a fine, non-rebellious vacation like the by-the-book person that you are. Am I correct?"

"Yes, but you're not as impressive as me because you're unpredictable while I'm not."

"Whatever," she laughed. "You're just going to apparate home right?"

"That's what I plan on doing. Moody's set up an apparition point right outside the ground doors for us so it's just a straight, short walk down the path," he nodded.

"Then I'll be seeing you off here," she spoke as they both exited the large doors to the Entrance Hall of the castle. The doors closed quietly behind her but she knew that Filch had left it unlock for the students coming in and out.

"You can't walk with me a little longer?" Marrick asked, taking her hand gently.

"Sorry, I still have to run back and find Tonks. My little cousin's gone M.I.A. on me yet again," she replied and managed a small smirk. "We have to leave by six before her mother's dinner at seven otherwise I'd get my head torn off."

Looking into her dark brown almost black eyes, Marrick laughed softly as the fluffy white snow fell on her straight, raven black hair. Her eyes seemed to have a small twinkle in them as she looked at him, and her smile was soft and genuine, one he wished he'd see on her more often, though her mischievous and sometimes childish grin was just as lovely.

"Happy Christmas Alexis," he smiled, leaning in and placing his lips on hers. Marrick kissed her softly but passionately, his hands cupping her face to his while hers got lost in his dark brown hair that had grown longer since he first returned to Hogwarts. The kiss made them warmer and the cold, fluffy snow that fell on them melted quickly within the heat.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Alexis pulled back while a small and genuine smile was lighting up her face. "Happy Christmas Marrick."

"Please try not to get in trouble with whatever it is you're doing," he reminded her.

"Don't you trust me?"

"I do but it doesn't mean I can stop worrying. You're putting your job, maybe even your freedom at stake here. I have a feeling I know what you're doing, I just won't say it."

"I'm glad you aren't saying anything. Thank you."

"As I said before, I'd rather see you out here with a mischievous and trouble-bringing grin on your face than see you locked up in Azkaban with a completely mad and insane smile."

"You make everything seem so risky," Alexis laughed, beckoning him off. "Off you go less you'll be late. From what you told me, I don't think your mother would appreciate your late appearance very much for her own Christmas dinner."

He gave her one last smile for the night and turned to disapparated right on the spot. Alexis heard the tell-tale sign of apparition, a _pop_, and in an instant he was gone.

She took a long breath and pulled her thin robes tighter around her small frame as she crossed her arms. Alexis shook her head once so all the loose snow would fall off and she began re-entering the Entrance Hall. The doors were cold and heavy as she pushed them but after a moment, she finally got through.

The first step she took inside, Alexis was suddenly startled when she felt her entire body being hauled up by simple and traditional ropes, a net trap. She let out a surprised squeal and once the net closed around her, she was fighting with it, forgetting for a moment that she was a witch and so didn't even bother thinking about her wand.

"What the bloody hell?"

Then she heard the almost identical laughter of the two Weasley Twins sound from below. Alexis shifted and looked down to see the identical faces of Fred and George Weasley, grinning up broadly at her. "We never thought you'd fall for it Lexi," George spoke.

"But indeed you did," Fred finished, both smirking proudly.

"_I can just hear Mad-Eye screaming constant vigilance right now,_" Alexis thought as she laughed and rolled her eyes. "A net? That simple?"

"It's the simplest of things…" George began.

"…that the brightest people fall for," Fred finished.

"Alright," Alexis sighed, still smiling. "Can you let me down now?"

"But that would be a wasted effort," George grinned.

"We planned on carrying you into the Great Hall to show the kids and boast about how we're better pranksters," Fred added, both twins crossing their arms at the same time.

"Hardly," she scoffed gently. "This isn't even considered a prank in my book."

"But…" before George could even counter, using wandless and non-verbal magic, Alexis had already cut the normal, non-magical ropes to the net. She fell down to the ground, landing gracefully on her feet with a smirk on her face as she looked at both twins. "See? What did I tell you George? Never prank someone older than yourself. Chances are they know more spells than you do and can get themselves out of the so-called prank."

"Yes we didn't think of that Freddie," George nodded, turning to his brother.

Fred shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he began to walk away slowly, looking for a moment like he was strutting. Alexis could see George give his twin an odd look and she was about to question herself when suddenly, Fred turned back and flicked his wand quickly, charming a mistletoe to grow above them at rapid speed.

"Bloody hell," George sighed, his face becoming beat red.

"Don't we already have enough of these for decorations around Hogwarts?" Alexis asked almost innocently. However, when she attempted to walk away, an invisible force held her back. She quickly caught on and began scowling at Fred.

"Freddie learned that from Professor Flitwick," George sighed, looking up at the mistletoe as he continued to blush madly.

Alexis was amused as she'd never seen a boy blush quite that badly. His cheeks were bright red, almost glowing. She thought she'd never ever see that look on George Weasley, someone who could so easily embarrass himself to bring smiles to others' faces. She smirked and looked at the young kid.

"Well what are we going to do?" Alexis asked conversationally.

"That mistletoe is charmed so that unless a kiss is made, it won't allow you to leave," Fred grinned mischievously. "Quite a good prank now don't you think?" he winked.

"And you chose to prank your own brother? I think this was quite unexpected to George as well," Alexis laughed as George continued to blush.

"I wouldn't say it's completely unexpected. I dropped hints to him earlier that I'd use this as a back-up plan," Fred grinned. "And it's not like he wouldn't enjoy a kiss from such a pretty Ravenclaw like yourself," he spoke lower towards the end, still grinning.

"Alright, a kiss," Alexis sighed as she placed her hand gently behind George's head, pulling him closer so she could reach him as he was taller than her. Her kiss was quick as lightning as she placed a gentle kiss upon his forehead like a simple act of friendship. George could feel her lips touch his skin and was about to rupture in his own blush. Alexis grinned as the mistletoe above them allowed her to move again. "That's still considered a kiss."

"Completely unfair," Fred huffed but his grin was still wide.

"You're awfully quiet George," Alexis pointed out as she began to walk away, purposely imitating the way Fred had walked or rather strutted earlier. "Get a move on to the Great Hall, I might just decide to turn around and charm a mistletoe over your head, this one making sure that you won't leave until the kiss is on the lips," she warned them teasingly while glancing back at the twins. She laughed softly when Fred and George turned towards one another with disgust.

* * *

><p>Inside the Great Hall, the ceiling was charmed to make it look just like the weather outside, snowing, but without the cold and without the actual snow touching you. Tonks walked in, taking a minute to gaze at the marvel that was the high, magical ceiling of the Great Hall. She looked back down the Gryffindor table to see the kids, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, all sitting there, gathered around what looked like a very interesting game of Wizard's chess. Ginny spotted her first, and then Hermione and both girls waved. Tonks made sure her appearance and morph was still intact as she grinned broadly while making her way over to them.<p>

"I thought you left already," Tonks smiled, her voice and body like that of a thirteen year-old, just like them. "And I'm guessing Ron's winning by the way," she laughed.

"Yeah but I'm making a comeback," Harry smirked. "And I never go home for the holidays. That would mean going back to the Dursleys."

"Harry usually comes over and stays with us for Christmas," Ron spoke up. "But mum and dad went to visit my brother Charlie over in Romania," he grinned.

"So we're all stuck here this year," Ginny faked a dramatic sigh.

Tonks smirked at the look she saw Ginny throw at Harry but she kept her mouth shut. "What about you Hermione?" Tonks turned and asked the girl with bushy brown hair. "You're not coming home for Christmas this year?"

"No," she sighed but she didn't look at all unhappy. "My parents have gone on a long vacation and won't be back until February," she replied.

"You're going home for Christmas right Tonks?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, with Lexi," she replied. "My mum's going to have our heads if we're late."

"That's what my mum always said to my brother Charlie if he doesn't come home," Ron spoke. "But he never was afraid of her. I guess it's because he lives so far away."

"Or maybe his love for dragons overrules all others," Tonks joked, remembering from school how she and Alexis would always tease Charlie that if it was legal, he would have married a dragon and brought one home to his mother.

"That's what Fred and George teased him about too," Ron spoke up. "They said they picked it up from some of Charlie's friends," he spoke excitedly.

Tonks grinned, remembering the many teases and jokes they'd said to Charlie and how he could laugh at each and every one of them humorously, grinning as he teased them back. Tonks had to admit to herself that she missed the bloke, her once closest friend that wasn't her family and he was her ex-boyfriend as well.

"Hang on Tonks," Hermione suddenly spoke up. "Did you know Ron's brother, Charlie? How did you know that he loves dragons?"

Luckily, Tonks knew better than to look surprised. She had completely forgotten about her disguise for a moment and could just imagine Mad-Eye Moody scolding her ears off if he had been there right then. "Oh Charlie knew Lexi and since he knew Lexi, he knew me," she smiled, coming up with an excuse. "But I don't think he'll remember us. It'd been a while and Lexi was always bad at keeping in touch with people. I am too," she added, hoping that neither Ron nor Ginny would decide to owl their brother and question about two girls by the name of Tonks and Lexi. No doubt Charlie would remember his old friends. Her cover would be blown.

Hermione seemed to have only believed in part of Tonks' lie as the brilliant young witch sat back and nodded, her looks seeming contemplative. Tonks could only hope the girl wouldn't question anymore. Then from the corner of her eyes, she suddenly spotted Alexis who was strutting in quite oddly, smirking at them all. Fred and George walked closely behind the raven haired Unspeakable, one of them blushing madly. Tonks still couldn't tell which was which, because once she thought she could finally tell them apart, they confused her all over again.

"You're in a happy mood," Tonks teased, raising an eyebrow at the funny way Alexis was walking. "Strutting around the castle like that," she laughed.

"Actually I'm imitating Fred," Lexi replied, smirking and pointing to the one who wasn't blushing and from then, Tonks concluded that the one blushing madly was George.

"George why are you beat red?" Tonks asked the young man, seeing that the four kids beside her were interested as well to why one of the Weasley twins was blushing that badly.

"The twins tried to play two pranks one me," Lexi announced. "But both of them didn't go the way they had planned it I'm assuming," she smirked, glancing at George who was uncharacteristically quiet.

"I don't know, the last one went way better than what Georgie had hoped," Fred smirked.

"Come on Tonks, it's almost six," Alexis told her and pulled Tonks to the side. "We have to leave by six because we can't apparate straight in to Andromeda's home, in case you've forgotten," Alexis replied in a hushed voice so that the other kids who were distracted in an animated conversation couldn't hear.

"Right," Tonks nodded, remembering that to get to her mother's house, they had to apparate to an alley down the street from the muggle like town house and the alley was a twenty minute walk for them. "I have to get my bag though. It's still up in our room."

"Alright," Lexi replied. "Go get your bag and I'll go speak with Rookwood to make sure that the locators don't all of a sudden do something unexpected while we're away."

"Aren't there three Unspeakables total including you? Why don't you speak with the third one as well, I think Bode was his name."

"Because Bode's in Hogsmeade," Lexi replied simply. "I'll check with him later. But personally, he just downright scares me and I don't want my holiday mood ruined."

"Whatever you say," Tonks sighed, rolling her eyes. "Do you think we'll have time that I could pay Remus a visit? The moon's coming up for him and I want to check to make sure he's alright. And I want to give him his Christmas present as well, from a friend."

"Friends," Alexis scoffed. "Tonks if you love the man just say it," she sighed.

"Don't make me smack you right in front of the kids," Tonks warned but her smile and slight blush gave her threat away as a tease.

"Whatever," Alexis smirked. "Go see him and tell him a Happy Christmas from me. You should have invited the professor over for a Christmas dinner with us. I'm sure Andromeda wouldn't mind an old friend of Sirius'."

"You know the more you talk, the bigger the risk of us getting caught and being suspected again?" Tonks replied. "I'll be quick. Meet me at the Entrance Hall and we can leave. We're able to apparate right when we get out of the door right?"

"Yep, now hurry up cuz," Alexis smiled and nudged Tonks away as she waved and gave the kids her holiday greetings and left as well. Alexis paused for a moment before she exited the Great Hall. She ceased that moment to glance up at the enchanted ceiling, smirking like a child again at the magical ceiling that looked like it was snowing, just like the weather outside. Hogwarts really was quite a magical place, in not just one way.

* * *

><p>Tonks took a deep breath. Lately, she really had been visiting Remus way too often. She found herself standing outside his door more often than she ever thought possible and every time she stood there, she felt her heart racing, beating way too fast to be safe. Tonks took another breath to calm herself down, shaking her hands beside her to loosen up. She wondered why she was so nervous, why she felt so flustered every time she went to see him. There was a feeling of happiness within her as well. After some deep breathing, Tonks drummed her knuckles on the wooden door to his office and it surprised her that the door was ajar. It simply creaked open.<p>

"Remus?" she spoke softly, taking a small step into the room.

"Hello Nymphadora." A soft voice followed by a very wan smile came as a reply.

"Wotcher Remus," she spoke, looking at the professor. Tonks was surprised. He looked downright horrible even though she hated to admit it. The bags under his eyes grew darker and his premature lines grew deeper. His hair still wasn't as grey as she'd remembered it, but Remus looked sick and very, very unwell. There was a sickly hue to him and he was paler than normal. He had traces of cold sweat on his forehead and his steps were shaky. Tonks wondered what was wrong and found herself stepping closer, gently holding his arm. "Remus, are you ok?"

"I'm fine Nymphadora," he smiled but his smile seemed wan and more tired than normal. "I'm stronger than I look," he replied in a very soft voice. "Though I admit I am feeling under the weather and it's not doing much good for the fast approaching full moon."

"Do you think you can get through the full moon? You look like you're running a fever."

"Like I said, I'm stronger than I look," he replied. "I have something for you by the way. But let me drink my fourth dose of wolfsbane first before I forget," he managed a small smile. Remus felt more comfortable around her now, knowing that she was his _friend_ and that he didn't have to be afraid about his condition with her. He felt warm around her, accepted.

Tonks leaned on his desk and watched as he went over to his bookshelf where the black, slightly singed cauldron of wolfsbane was set. He took out a glass from inside and drank it all, quickly and in one take. Tonks was always amazed that Remus could down such a disgusting liquid without hurling it up. He swallowed hard and she noticed that he made a face, perhaps from the disgusting taste. He shook his head slightly and looked back up at her. Tonks noticed that his eyes looked blood shot. The soft blue looked more panicked, unsteady, and he looked as if he was practically dying for some peaceful sleep.

"Can't you add sugar or something to that to make drinking it more bearable?" she asked.

He shook his head slowly, his eyes becoming more panicked and unsteady. Tonks began to worry about him, but she didn't know how to put her worries into words and she was afraid that if she showed too much care, she'd make him feel uncomfortable like the other times.

"Unfortunately for wolfsbane, if I add sugar or anything else to it, it would make the potion useless. Though I admit if I could add sugar it would be a relief. My potion is getting a lot more terrible tasting lately," he nodded.

"Remus I have to say, you're one of the toughest men I know for being able to down that thing," she smiled softly. There were so many more reasons why she saw him as a strong man, but she knew better than to list them and make him feel uncomfortable.

He managed a small, genuine smile and took slow, shaky steps towards her. Remus picked up a small package wrapped in shiny silver and pink wrappings from his desk and handed it to her. "Happy Christmas Tonks. I've never really bought presents before, not in a while, so I didn't know what I should get. I hope you like it though," he spoke softly, shyly almost, but Tonks reminded herself not to be foolish and get her hopes up so that they could be crushed.

Tonks took the present and took out a small package of her own, wrapped in Honeyduke's gift wrap for the holidays, and handed it to Remus. She had an idea that he already knew what it was from looking at the wrapper as his wan smile turned into a mirthful, wolfish grin. She was more than happy to see that grin, more than happy.

Both Remus and Tonks unwrapped their presents carefully and gently as if the wrapping paper could feel pain. Tonks took out a rainbow colored scarf and grinned, looking up at him, her eyes meeting his blood shot but still soft and gentle blue eyes. Remus' present had been a very large bar of Honeyduke's best milk chocolate, his favorite kind. He smiled and looked up, his eyes meeting her soulful dark green ones.

"Happy Christmas," they both spoke at the exact same time, her voice and his blending together in perfect harmony. Then as if on cue, they both turned away to blush, once again in-sync with the other.

"This matches me so well," Tonks grinned, wrapping the scarf around her immediately and she felt her body heat and heartbeat rise as one.

"I'm glad you like it. Thank you, how did you know, this was my favorite kind?"

"Remus, you always have a bar of chocolate on you. You look happier when you're eating that kind as compared to the other ones," she smiled, gesturing to the very large bar of chocolate in his hands.

"Thank you," he spoke softly, warmly, soothingly.

She could only muster a smile.

After a long moment of comfortable silence and rising, racing heartbeats, Tonks forced herself to pull her eyes away from Remus. "I…uh…I better go," she spoke softly. "I have to meet Lexi in the Entrance Hall so we could both leave to go to my mum's. Have a nice holiday Remus, and do take care on the full moon. Are you sure you don't want me to come check on you the morning after?"

He shook his head, his expression still gentle. "That would be too much trouble. You should enjoy your well deserved vacation. Unlike the students here, this is work for you." He spoke with a soft and subtle finality in his voice. Tonks felt the need to not argue and just listen to the man for once.

"Write me whenever you can."

"I will, thank you," he smiled again. "I'll see you off at the Entrance Hall," he spoke, walking along beside her.

Tonks noticed that his steps were still shaky and she worried about him more. She forced herself to remember that he was stronger than he looked. However, that night's pre-moon symptoms were the worse from how she'd seen him before, and worry was unable to be held back. She smiled as he walked beside her and they slowly made their way down pass the second floor, the first floor, and soon they finally got to the Entrance Hall.

"Happy Christmas Nymphadora," Remus spoke again, his voice breathier, more wan.

She smiled and nodded at him, able to see Alexis approaching with her bag slung around her shoulder. Remus turned around and smiled wanly at Alexis who returned his genuine kindness with that of her own. Tonks wished her cousin was that nice and polite with her.

"Happy Christmas Remus."

"Happy Christmas Alexis."

"Tonksie, ready to go?" she asked, repositioning her bag around her shoulder.

"Yeah, take care Remus," Tonks smiled again and walked away with her cousin, slowly. Each step she took away from him, she felt a strong force pulling her back, tempting her desperately to look back at him. There was something wrong with Remus. He looked unwell, ill, and sick, even for pre-moon symptoms. There was something going on that completely deserved her worry. Tonks sighed and turned to Alexis.

Her cousin opened her mouth slightly and was about to say something, but they suddenly heard a thud sound from behind them before they could walk through the large doors leading out of the castle. Immediately, Tonks turned around. Her eyes widened with fear and worry when she spotted Remus on the ground, his face twisted in pain as his wounds seem to be…opening up. She instantly ran over to him, followed by her cousin.

"Remus," she called but he didn't answer her. He couldn't. He was in so much pain it seemed. He was tense and his body bent as if he was going to transform. Remus' many scars that crossed his body seemed to be opening up, slowly and painfully. "Remus, are you alright?"

He only let out an unwanted groan of pain. His eyes were shut tightly and he was trembling. Remus heaved a heavy breath and let out another scream, muffled by his own dignity to keep himself quiet and remain strong. Tonks held onto him as she turned to Alexis, hoping that the brilliant witch had some kind of answer.

"What's wrong with him?" Tonks asked in a very worried voice.

"I don't know," she replied, taking out her wand and running a check over him. "I suspect poison but I'm not skilled enough to identify which kind."

"Go get help!" Tonks almost screamed, her eyes becoming blurry with a mixture of tears in the corners and worry. She clung onto him tighter, supporting him as Remus continued to tremble. He tried so hard to hold back his groans and screams but they all slipped through, painfully. What he was going through seemed worse than any transformation.

Alexis had already run off and Tonks saw that she was going into the dungeon first. Sitting there, Tonks continued to hold onto Remus, her palms desperately covering up his many wounds that were opening up all at the same time. The faint scars across his face grew red and began to bleed. His arms were bloody everywhere as far as she could see. Deep, velvet blood seeped through his shabby robes on his torso and back. Tonks held onto him tightly as Remus continued to shake. He was shaking violently now, fighting back the pain in a futile effort. She had her wand out of course. Tonks was trying to close the wounds, but they were opening up too fast for her to close, and the ones she'd managed to close were opening up again.

"Remus, up you get," she gasped, attempting to pull him up to his feet. He clung onto her as well, his hands shaking, his arms shaking, his entire body shaking.

Soon Alexis returned from the dungeon, throwing the dungeon door open with a loud bang but that noise was drowned out by Tonks' endless worry for Remus. He was losing too much blood right now. Severus Snape glided quickly out of the dungeon with a hint of a panicked expression on his face. Alexis didn't have time to talk as she quickly turned and made her way up the staircase, perhaps searching for Madam Pomfrey. Snape ran over to Tonks and bent down, his one arm on Remus as he took out his wand and assessed what was wrong with the professor. Tonks looked up at him, her gaze speaking her mind.

"He's been poisoned," Snape spoke in a low voice with only a small hint of emotions.

"How?" Tonks asked, almost screaming at him.

"Too much wolfsbane," he spoke and threw one of Remus' arms around his shoulder, pulling the bleeding professor up to his feet. "We've got to get him to Poppy Pomfrey."

"What do you mean too much wolfsbane? You brewed the potion for him!" she shrieked now, unable to hold back as she and Snape helped a shaking and trembling Remus up the stairs, quickly and desperately. Tonks knew she had to thank Snape for helping. Usually the cold and dreary potions master wouldn't bother that much. She could see Remus' blood get onto Snape's black robes, just like it was getting onto hers.

"I meant the wolfsbane plant," he replied, seeming annoyed but still helping Remus up the stairs. "Wolfsbane can work both ways," Snape explained quickly. "It's a key ingredient in the wolfsbane potion. Too little of it and the potion won't work. Too much of it and it will poison the werewolf," he spoke, glancing at Remus and Tonks spotted a small trace of worry in his thought to be cold and emotionless eyes.

"But you brewed it. How could there be too much?" she asked him.

"I don't know but we better get Lupin up to Poppy quickly," Snape replied in a louder, sterner voice as his pace quickened and Tonks followed.

"Oh Remus," Poppy's distressed voice said. She practically flew down the stairs. "Alexis told me he'd been poisoned. What's wrong with him Severus?" she asked, glancing up at Snape.

"Too much wolfsbane."

Her eyes widened and the look on her face made Tonks' heart swell and drop. Whatever was happening to Remus right then, was definitely a very horrible, horrible thing. "We've got to get him to the hospital wing quick!" the healer spoke. "I'll take him there." She switched with Snape and supported a severely pained Remus who was beginning to writhe in the intense pain. "Severus, please go brew all the necessary potions and quickly."

Without another glance, Snape turned sharply and glided down the staircase back to his office in the dungeon. Tonks had to thank him, though he seemed to hate Remus, he wasn't completely heartless. Alexis was breathing hard and Tonks saw her cousin run down the stairs back to the Entrance Hall with her wand in her hand.

"Where're you going Lexi?" she breathed but she didn't stop.

"We've got to clean up the blood before any students see it. Get Remus up to the hospital wing. When I'm finished I'll alert Dumbledore and McGonagall," she breathed heavily, gasping to catch her breath and Tonks nodded.


	17. No More Distance Between Us

**Author's Note**

I just had to say that I finally got to watch the deleted scenes and really did wonder why the director deleted Remus and Tonks' scene :( It explained so much and would have helped us understand their love story in the films better! And when Tonks ran up to Remus and then jumped and hugged him, that just made me cry and they were so sweet! Ok done ranting...actually I'm not but done for now haha. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17 – No More Distance Between Us<strong>

Through all the rush and madness of worry, Tonks had forgotten that on that particular night, it was Christmas. The snow continued to fall outside, unaware that there was an innocent man, suffering, unfairly, on such a supposedly beautiful night. During the wait, Tonks had enough time to remember how she'd failed to show up to her mother's Christmas dinner. Sadly, she didn't even have time to drop by and explain. She couldn't bear to leave Remus' side, not when he was in such a state. Though he never knew of her feelings for him and though she thought that he will never feel the same for her, she still stayed there, by his side. She hid under the excuse of friendship to hold his hands and watch his uneven breaths, praying for the first time in her life that they would never stop.

Remus was the occupant of the hospital bed Tonks sat at. His hand was in hers while he slept under a drug induced slumber. Bandages took the place of a shirt, small traces of blood still seeping through several crucial wounds. His scar crossed face had stopped bleeding luckily, but the deep, open gashes still made it look so painful. Looking at Remus, his frail and injured body under the two thin hospital blankets, he looked so fragile. Tonks had never seen him so vulnerable. Despite her being an auror, she'd never seen anyone so vulnerable in her entire life. She just wanted to lie beside him and hold him tightly in her arms, afraid that when the sun rose the next morning, she wouldn't have the chance to anymore.

Poppy Pomfrey finally stopped rushing around. She settled standing at the foot of Remus' bed, looking at him with worried eyes. Tonks knew she'd grown accustomed to seeing him every month for a good deal of his life, but never had she seen him so battered. Minerva McGonagall stood beside Dumbledore and Snape, all looking at Remus as well. Alexis had just returned with Moody and Silvia as Professor Dumbledore had called for them.

"Oh my god," Silvia gasped once she recognized the man lying on the bed. She covered her gaping mouth with her hands and then walked over and placed one comforting hand on Tonks' shoulder. "Will Remus…?"

"I don't know," Tonks replied softly. Her eyes were sad. Her hair was a dark and soft pink and her presence lacked its usual enthusiasm. Tonks turned and faced the others, her eyes meeting her cousin's first and lingered there a moment for comfort. "What exactly happened to him?" Tonks asked, her heart swelling a bit when she heard his breath hitch.

"Severus brewed the antidote for wolfsbane poisoning in time," Poppy spoke first. "However, that meant it removed all traces of wolfsbane from his body…and so the potion Remus took will not be effective."

"How will he transform in this condition?" Minerva asked.

"Not to mention that Lupin will be a completely uncontrollable werewolf when the moon rises," Snape added dryly though there were no traces of sneering in his tone and Tonks thanked him for that. "And in his current condition…" he looked to Dumbledore.

"This full moon could kill him," the headmaster spoke, his face showing worry.

Tonks flinched, but kept her overall fears hidden, for now. "How did this happen?"

"When I brewed the potion, I was sure to add just the right amount of wolfsbane. In the wolfsbane potion, too little wolfsbane and it will render the concoction useless. Too much wolfsbane and it will poison the werewolf. Though I dislike Lupin, it wasn't my intention to poison him," Snape defended. Tonks was in no mood to argue. She didn't know how there came to be too much wolfsbane in the potion, she just knew that now Remus was in pain and she wanted to do whatever she could to take it away.

"Severus," Alexis' voice spoke up softly as she stepped up from behind Silvia and Mad-Eye Moody. "Where do you usually keep your concoction of wolfsbane when you brew it?"

"In my office," he replied. "I could never keep it in the classroom."

"Alexis where are you going at?" Moody asked.

"I think I know who was responsible for poisoning Remus," she nodded, walking up to Tonks and whispering a name into her ear. "Peter Pettigrew." Alexis' voice was soft enough that even through the dense silence in the room, no one else could hear but Tonks.

Tonks' knuckles tightened and turned white as she tried to hold back all her anger. Of course it was that lying little rat. They'd seen him hanging around Snape's office a while ago. She should have seen it before. If she saw it earlier, Remus wouldn't have to be in so much pain now. Tonks squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to swallow down the desire to flip the whole school upside-down, find that rat, and just squeeze the life out of him.

"Who is it?" Silvia asked Lexi, turning her around.

As she tried to calm herself down, she could literally hear her cousin swallow a very hard lump in her throat. "We kept seeing that rat sneaking around Snape's office," she spoke. Mad-Eye knew exactly what she meant, but he didn't know the entire truth.

"Black," Moody growled, thinking that Sirius' animagus form was a rat, the one he'd let slip right through his hands. "That little bastard…poisoning his own friend."

"Y…yeah," Alexis replied, her body tensing. They didn't want to place blame on Sirius, but if they told the others it was Pettigrew, everything they worked to hide would be brought out into the open and they won't be of any help to Sirius if Mad-Eye began suspecting again.

"Alastor," Dumbledore finally spoke again. "I'm afraid you'll have to set the capture of Sirius Black aside for now. Seeing that Remus' transformation is fast approaching and we will have a full grown, uncontrolled werewolf on our hands, we should worry about that first."

Moody nodded, pacing up beside Tonks. "We'll have to keep watch over him."

"I suggest using the Shrieking Shack. In all his Hogwarts years, Remus had utilized the Shrieking Shack for all his transformations," Dumbledore suggested.

"We still need someone there to watch over him to make sure he's still alive Albus," Minerva spoke up and Tonks could see the woman was also genuinely worried for Remus.

At that moment, Tonks and Alexis immediately turned to each other. They both knew that at the time, Sirius was hiding out in the Shrieking Shack. If someone else other than them goes in there, his safety and freedom would be put at risk. They had to use someplace else other than the shack, or somehow convince Mad-Eye that they alone could handle Remus, even as a full grown werewolf without wolfsbane. Not only did Tonks have to worry about Remus' safety and keeping him alive throughout the transformation, she also had to worry about keeping Sirius safe while in hiding, at least until they could catch Pettigrew. Now Tonks had one more reason for wanting to murder the rat. She knew that Alexis too was tempted to simply hand the rat off to Sirius and allow him to finally commit the murder he was charged for.

"We can't use the shack," Tonks spoke up, unable to stop herself.

Luckily, Alexis came in with a reason to prevent Moody's paranoia from targeting them yet again. "The Shrieking Shack is too run down. We'll need a very strong confinement spell to be able to keep a werewolf at bay," she spoke, quickly making something up.

"I'll send for a team of aurors there to guard him. If Lupin makes any dangerous moves, we'll be able to stop him. And aurors are good with healing spells so we'll be able to keep him alive during the transformation."

She knew Mad-Eye only meant good, but having a team of aurors there was worse than having them there. "He's not a monster Mad-Eye," Tonks spoke to him a little too shortly and briskly. "We don't need to call for a team of aurors. Lexi and I could handle him."

"Alexis is not an auror Nymphadora," Moody snapped. "You have to be reasonable. If he gets loose, he could become a danger to us all. Though it is the holidays, there are still students here at the castle and residents in Hogsmeade."

Tonks didn't even feel the anger or need to correct him for using her first name. She figured if she raised her voice, she'd interrupt Remus' much needed sleep. "Trust us," she replied through worried, clenched, teeth. "Lexi and I can control him. I'll cast the confinement charms and protection charms around the Shrieking Shack."

"While we're there, Tonks can make sure that Remus is alive. I'll keep us safe by casting another confinement charm inside the shack," Alexis spoke up.

"It's still too risky," Moody grunted.

"But Alastor." That time, it was Silvia who spoke up. "Think about it. The ministry simply wouldn't allow us to call back an entire team of aurors just to keep a…werewolf," she swallowed, having to call her old schoolmate that name. "…at bay. And besides, I trust both Tonks and Alexis."

"They are young," Moody snapped. "What if something goes wrong? Nymphadora is reckless and prone to danger while Alexis is lazy and untrained in proper defensive magic. They could get hurt." That was one of the few times Tonks could see that he openly showed worry for them. That held Tonks back from full on arguing with him.

"You have to trust Tonks. Yes she's reckless and clumsy and prone to danger, but she knows what she's doing and she will know what to do when the situation calls for it," Alexis defended her cousin in a low, convincing tone, hoping to change Mad-Eye's mind. She did so not only to assure Remus that he wasn't a monster, but also to protect Sirius. Having Mad-Eye meet Sirius right then when they have no solid evidence whatsoever, was not a good idea.

"And you've got to trust Lexi," Tonks spoke up. "She'd helped me through everything in the past and auror or not, this time is no different. She's brilliant and both of us will get through this, safely, and make sure that Remus is safe as well."

"Besides," Silvia sighed. "You told me yourself that we should never underestimate these two, especially when they're together. Alastor, Tonks is a graduated auror. Have some faith in her. And Alexis is an experienced Unspeakable. The Unspeakables know things we will never be able to figure out," she reminded the man.

"Albus?" Moody spoke, turning to the headmaster.

"I believe in Miss Tonks and Alexis' ability to not only keep Remus safe, but keep us all safe," he spoke with a soft twinkle in his eyes as he looked at everyone in the room.

"We'll use the Shrieking Shack then," Poppy Pomfrey nodded. "Severus, you should get the potions ready just in case," she spoke to Snape who nodded and quickly glided off without another word. Tonks had to thank Snape that night. She still saw traces of Remus' blood stained on his black robes, and the potions master hadn't complained at all.

"I'll go prepare," Alexis spoke up before anyone else could offer. "I'll get it ready…find a good room we could set Remus in. And I'll pack our bags to prepare for the one night." She took a breath and glanced towards Tonks. "It'll be snowing that night. Tonks, you'll be ok here watching Remus?" she asked softly.

Tonks nodded, watching as Mad-Eye and the others began leaving the room. Alexis lingered around the hospital wing for a little while longer, placing a comforting hand on Tonks' shoulder. Dumbledore was the last to leave and Tonks saw him wink at them right before he pulled the hospital doors shut. She usually thought deeper into the meaning behind the great wizard's winks, but at that moment, Tonks didn't have the heart to think about anything else besides Remus' safety and hope that he'll wake up soon.

"Over the next three days before the moon, I'll go and try to sneak out to tell Padfoot what's going on," Alexis spoke softly again so that only Tonks could hear.

She nodded. "We'll be there from before sunset till sunrise. Bring blankets and some food." Her eyes turned worriedly to Remus whose breath hitched again. "How will we make sure his condition doesn't worsen because of the transformation?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to hope for the best. When he's in wolf form, Padfoot will be able to tame him and keep him settled. We'll have to keep watch from a distance less he decided to attack us or something."

"You should go and get ready. It's morning already. We should also work out who will hold up the protection and confinement charms around the shack."

Alexis nodded and patted Tonks' shoulder again. "Padfoot has his wand. He'll be able to help. By the way Tonksie, happy Christmas." Her voice was soft, especially towards the end. That Christmas had been the most solemn and worrying Christmas Tonks had ever had.

"We missed mum's dinner."

"When we explain things to her she'll understand," Alexis reassured her. "She and you may argue a lot, but Andromeda is no fool. She'll understand everything." She patted Tonks' shoulder again before turning and leaving from the hospital doors. Before she left Alexis threw one last glance at the back of Tonks' head. Judging by the look on Tonks' face, Alexis knew that her little cousin must feel more than simple infatuation for Professor Lupin. It would only be a matter of time before either party decide to admit their feelings for one another. She'd spoken with Sirius about Remus and Tonks and they both knew that it would take some time before either party would allow themselves to be happy. Alexis just hope that it wouldn't be too long.

* * *

><p>Faint, golden lights came in from the window as the rays of sunlight ricocheted off the snow white ground and onto the windows. Tonks was part awake and part asleep, her hand still clinging onto Remus'. Several times she could feel him stir, but she still knew he was fast asleep under a drug induced slumber. Madam Pomfrey had came in to check several times and said it would be more beneficial for him to sleep through it as he won't feel the pain as much. Tonks opened her eyes slowly.<p>

Her mind snapped awake when she heard the soft opening of the hospital doors. Tonks was able to clearly picture her old mentor Mad-Eye Moody practically screaming constant vigilance in her face as she scrambled to morph her features to match her disguise of a thirteen year old Gryffindor. She gave a yawn and stretched, turning around to meet the three worried eyes of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Wotcher," Tonks yawned. "What are you three doing here?"

"The better question would be what you're doing here," Ron replied. "I thought you and Lexi said you two were headed for your parents' house last night. What are you doing in the hospital wing?" he asked.

"We saw Lexi running around all night. She's still running all over the place today, looking for Fred and George. What's wrong Tonks?" Harry asked.

Tonks was about to answer when she noticed Hermione's eyes fall onto the man lying on the bed. She knew she should pull her hand back from Remus', but she was laboring under the illusion that Remus' hand was subconsciously grasping onto hers as well. She could feel his grip tighten a bit around her small hand, even though he showed no sign of waking up.

"Is that…Tonks is that Professor Lupin?" Hermione asked worriedly.

She saw no point in lying to the kids. "Yeah," she nodded weakly.

"What happened to him?" Harry asked.

"Bloody hell," Ron breathed at the exact same time as Harry's question.

Tonks turned to look at him. His face was adorned with fresh red scars. Bandages replaced a shirt as his even and soft breath showed the only sign of life in him. He was so pale and he looked so broken. His breath would sometimes hitch but otherwise he seemed peaceful in his sleep. Whenever Tonks turned back to him, her eyes would linger on his chest and watch it rise up and down, secretly praying it to never stop.

"Tonks what happened?" Hermione asked in a softer voice.

"Someone's poisoned Professor Lupin," Tonks replied softly, unable to force her mind to think up a proper and unsuspecting excuse. She decided to go with the truth.

"Do you know who?" Hermione asked compassionately.

"I know who," Harry suddenly spoke up, looking at Tonks with dark eyes.

She was curios to find out who he would think. Her guess would be Snape. "Who?"

"Sirius Black," Harry replied, sighing as he looked at his professor.

Tonks felt her body tense. She already hated herself enough when she led Mad-Eye and the others to think that it was Sirius who poisoned him. She didn't want Harry to think that as well, especially when Sirius was Harry's godfather and Sirius never did anything wrong. Tonks balled her other hand up into a fist, her knuckles turning white as she tried to calm herself down.

"Why do you suppose it's him Harry?" Tonks asked, straining to stay calm.

"When Professor Lupin confiscated the Marauder's Map from me, he told me that the map, if fallen into the wrong hands could endanger me. In the hands of my enemy, it's a map to me. The only person I could think of who'd want to harm me would be Sirius Black. I think Sirius Black might want to get that map, and he poisoned Professor Lupin to get it."

Tonks nodded, forcing herself to take a breath and unclench her jaw. "Have you ever thought Harry, that it may not be Sirius Black who's your enemy?" Tonks suggested.

"If he's not my enemy then what is he?" Harry snapped at her which surprised Tonks. She'd completely forgotten how moody and rash teenagers can be. "He was my father's friend. And he betrayed them. He killed his other friend Peter Pettigrew. He told Voldemort where my parents were hiding. He's the reason they're dead. He was their friend!" Harry shouted.

Hermione immediately stood up to calm him down while Ron quietly placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. Tonks now entirely remembered how moody and rash teenagers could be. She also found out that to Harry, loyalty seemed to be of special importance as the young boy made great emphasis on how his father's own friend betrayed him. Tonks swallowed hard, forcing herself to sit calmly as the boy calmed himself too.

"Black's a homicidal raving lunatic," Ron spoke innocently.

"Sirius Black is _not_ a homicidal raving lunatic," Tonks snapped a little too shortly.

"And I suppose that betraying your best friend and killing your other friend would make you a completely sane and misunderstood person?" Harry snapped back. Obviously he doesn't like Sirius, and Tonks hated to see that Harry hated his own godfather, even if he was never told the truth. She just wanted the boy to be quiet.

"Have you ever thought more about the case? That maybe Sirius Black had been wrongfully accused the entire time? All they found of Pettigrew was a finger, quite suspicious if you ask me." She was suddenly stopped when she heard someone's loud and deliberate throat clearing. They all turned their heads to the door to see Alexis standing there, Lexi White, sixth year Ravenclaw to the trio, Alexis Black, twenty-two year-old Unspeakable to Tonks.

Lexi walked in as the doors closed behind her. She shot Tonks a very dark look, reminding her not to say anymore, knowing her clumsy tongue. "How's he doing?" she asked. Ashes marred her pretty face and Tonks could tell that her cousin had been through the floo lately. Alexis never liked flooing, because she could never land right and always came out with ash and soot on her face and clothes.

"He's stable," Tonks replied, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"Harry?" Alexis asked, giving the boy an almost professor like look. It was times like those that Tonks admitted Alexis really was older and more mature than her.

Harry shook his head and Alexis sat back, deciding it was best not to press any further for the time being. Harry dropped down in the empty hospital bed beside Remus, his eyes looking at Tonks with a mixture of expressions. Tonks saw an apologetic look in his soft green eyes, but she also saw a look of bemusement as well. She didn't blame him however. Looking back at it, Tonks realized that to Harry, she'd just defended Sirius Black, a convicted murderer.

"Lexi, you're here to see Professor Lupin too?" Hermione asked.

"Yes and it's not Sirius Black. It's someone else…but I don't know who so no further probing," she told the threesome, stopping any further questions from them.

"Lexi where were you?" Tonks asked, remaining vague but still getting her point across.

"I went to find Fred and George and am still waiting for them to return from Hogsmeade. I've asked them to pick up a few things for me," Alexis replied. "And I had to help Snape prepare some of the potions. Madam Pomfrey found me in the halls and asked me to help," she spoke, slightly gesturing to her ash marred face which was the results of potion brewing. Lexi knew Tonks had mistaken it as a sign of flooing. "I didn't get a chance to visit your mum though. I'd expect a howler coming from her soon," she spoke softly and sighed.

"What are you talking about? Professor White is in her office like normal," Harry spoke.

Tonks had nearly forgotten that in her thirteen year-old disguise, Silvia White was to play her mother. She gave Alexis a reminding glance, surprised that her usually mindful cousin had forgotten that little fact. "Yeah, we kind of aren't speaking because of an argument," Tonks replied, quickly coming up with another lie.

"What will happen to the professor?" Hermione asked suddenly. "Will he recover by the end of the month?" She turned from Tonks to Lexi and back to Tonks, hoping for an answer.

"We're not really sure. He's stable for now," Tonks replied.

"What will happen to him if he doesn't recover in time?" Hermione continued to ask.

"We don't know," Tonks replied sadly. "We're just hoping for the best."

"Can we stay with you and Professor Lupin for a moment?" asked Harry.

Tonks needed to speak with Alexis, talking with her cousin about things the kids shouldn't hear about. She opened her mouth and was about to refuse the kids' offer, but Lexi had already beaten her to it and with a completely different answer.

"Of course you may," Alexis replied softly with a fleeting smile lighting up her face.

Ron and Hermione joined Harry, sitting down in the empty bed on the other side of Remus. Tonks didn't know about Harry or Ron, but she could see that other than simply worrying about her favorite professor, Hermione had something else on her mind as well. Keeping her constant vigilance up, Tonks remembered that the brilliant young witch didn't simply ask when he would recover like any other students would. Instead, Hermione asked if Remus would recover by the end of the month. The full moon was at the end of the month, on the twenty-eighth. She wondered if Hermione could have figured it out. Tonks soon dismissed the thoughts, thinking to herself that she was probably just thinking too much.

"_Don't respond,_" Tonks suddenly heard Alexis' voice inside her head. She couldn't help it when her head snapped up at her cousin, wide-eyed.

Tonks saw that Lexi was seated in the hospital chair beside Tonks, her wand out and in her hand while she kept it hidden from the kids at an angel she knew they couldn't see. "Lexi did you say something?" Tonks asked, afraid she was losing her mind. Lexi shook her head.

"_It's Legilimency Tonks. Don't show any response. I know it's odd and you think you're going insane, but it's the only way I can think of to communicate with you in front of the kids without seeming suspicious._"

"_And you can hear what I'm thinking?_" Tonks questioned, wondering more about the art.

"_That's the idea cuz. Now I went and asked Fred and George to go to Hogsmeade and pick up some things for me to prepare for the night at the Shrieking Shack. I got some food for Sirius as well. George has been the one helping me pick them up lately from the Three Broomsticks. During that time, I ran and met with Sirius. He said he'd been snooping around the grounds at night while everyone's asleep and he's certain that Pettigrew is somewhere in the grounds. It could be possible that the little rat finally realized he could escape through the Shrieking Shack and is trying to find the right time to get there._"

"_Get there?_" Tonks thought. "_Why does he have to wait for the right time?_"

"_Sirius told me that Pettigrew is downright daft. He probably thought that Dumbledore warded off the shack and will only open it on the night of the full moon for Remus. So he's probably waiting until the full moon to escape through that tunnel from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack. Sirius said he's always been afraid of Remus on the full moon, even if he turned into a rat and Remus won't hurt him. So now we know a reason why Pettigrew would want to poison Remus. He knew Dumbledore would leave the tunnel leading to the shack open for Remus. And with Remus injured, he won't be able to hurt him while he escapes._"

Tonks could feel her muscles tense as she clenched her jaw and balled her hand into a fist. "_That dirty little coward. He'd even poison his own friend. First he used Sirius as a scapegoat, and now he harms Remus, just so he can escape without having the risk of facing a completely tamed werewolf. If I ever see him, I'm going to break that rat in two._"

Alexis subtly cleared her throat again and Tonks looked up. She realized that through her discussion with Alexis, her hair had turned to a fiery shade of flaming red, the same color it always turned when she was really, really angry. Tonks huffed and forced her hair to morph back to bubblegum pink. Hermione looked at her oddly. The witch's eyes had a mix of worry and bemusement mixed in, but Tonks didn't want to question anymore. Soon Harry and Hermione's looks all had a mixture of bemusement in their gaze.

"_Do you think Mad-Eye suspects anything? He didn't seem too willing to let us and Remus go to the Shrieking Shack by ourselves,_" Tonks thought after her hair changed back.

"_I don't think he ever stopped suspecting us. He just doesn't have a reason to voice his suspicion yet, and I plan on keeping it that way until we can show him some solid proof. Now if only Snape would agree to help. Just Snape's word alone is somewhat of a start._"

"_I really doubt Snape would agree to help. He hates Sirius._"

"_But in case you've forgotten, Snape hates Remus too. Yet you saw it all last night, he helped Remus without so much as a sneer or a complaint._"

"_I saw it. Now I'm just hoping he'll let that human side of him think about helping Sirius. You're sure that as long as we've got Pettigrew and a statement from Snape, we're in the clear?_"

"_Yes. Because I checked back with all the records at the Ministry this morning. During the many trials after the First Wizarding War, I found information on him. At the trial of Igor Karkaroff, he listed Severus Snape as one of the Death Eaters in Voldemort's inner circle. Albus Dumbledore stood up and defended Snape himself, saying something like how Snape used to be a Death Eater but turned spy for us. It was proven that what Dumbledore said was true, that's why the Ministry never formally went after Snape about his Death Eater background._"

"_So now since it's confirmed that Severus Snape is a Death Eater, we just need him to tell the Ministry in the form of a statement everything he knew about Peter Pettigrew, and everything will fall into place? If so, can't we just talk to Mad-Eye about this?_"

"_You know the old codger better than I do. Do you think he'll listen to reasons?_"

"_He will. As long as we have enough reasons. He's a just man. If he's convinced Sirius is innocent, he'll do all that he can to help. Mad-Eye's just overly paranoid and he goes by the book from every word down to every letter, that's all. But maybe we'll have to show him Pettigrew first. Otherwise, he'd be quite irritated with us, knowing we've been tricking him._"

"_It all goes back to Pettigrew. We have to catch that little rat soon otherwise…_"

"Lexi, Tonks!" Hermione called loudly, pulling Tonks and Alexis' attention to them. "Are you two ok? We've been calling your name for ten minutes."

"Oh sorry," Alexis managed a small smile. "Got lost in my own thoughts for a minute."

"What about you Tonks?" Hermione asked. "Are you ok? You look a bit peaky."

"I'm fine thanks," Tonks replied weakly.

"How long have you been here with Professor Lupin?" Harry asked, noticing that Tonks was holding onto Remus' hand. Hermione noticed as well and Tonks didn't know if Ron had seen or not. She wondered what the kids would be thinking.

"I've only been here for a little bit," Tonks lied. "But I hadn't gotten much sleep last night because Lexi kept waking me up with her Christmas cheer," she managed a warmer smile.

"Hey, you've got to celebrate," Alexis shrugged along with Tonks' act.

"We've been asked to stay here to keep an eye on Professor Lupin and alert an adult if something changes," Tonks continued to explain, hoping the kids would stop questioning. She was too tired and she didn't know how much longer she could keep her act up both physically and mentally. "Someone else should be coming in later after us." Tonks sighed inwardly when the threesome nodded, seeming to believe in what she told them.

* * *

><p>Just as the snow had died, Alexis sat with her legs hanging out the open window on the large stone bridge of Hogwarts with her bag in her lap. She went through all its contents several times, planning and thinking. She thought of all the possibilities of what could happen, especially with a feral werewolf in close proximities of them. Alexis had checked the weather and knew it would be snowing that day. There was also a possibility that they'd have the chance to catch Pettigrew during the full moon as well.<p>

"Evening!" the voices of Fred and George Weasley screamed in both her ears.

Alexis jumped slightly, nearly dropping her bag and wand off the ledge as she turned around and huffed at them, trying to seem threatening to their identical grins. Unfortunately, she quickly resolved under their grins and sighed. The red headed Weasley twins handed her a large white package she recognized to be normal to-go meals from the Three Broomsticks. She raised an eyebrow when she only got one package however.

"You're a little late. I expected you to be back an hour ago," she smirked slyly.

"Well we sort of got sidetracked along the way," George began nervously.

"But rest assured that nothing is out of order or wrong," Fred finished, his expression identical to George's and Lexi knew something was up.

"Didn't I ask you to visit Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipments and pick something up for me?" she asked carefully, smirking knowingly at them. They definitely messed something up.

"Yes about that…" George began.

"…Georgie here dropped your parcel and realized that we broke the chunk of morphing material you've ordered."

George nervously handed Alexis a white parcel that looked like it had been stepped on and dropped down several flight of stairs. She made a slight pout, feeling pity as she'd been hoping to receive that soon. The material would have been useful. Morphing material came in a chunk that looked like clay at default, but can be molded into anything at all, gold, titanium, and it will take the attributes of that kind of material, all with the tap of a wand. It was hard to come by and would have been useful to her as an Unspeakable who tends to tinker.

"Pity," she sighed, opening the box to see the clay had gone from a glistening white to a dull grey, a sign that it had been tampered with and messed up.

"Sorry, it was Fred's fault. He dropped it down a flight of stairs."

"But you said it was ok to set it on there!" Fred argued.

"You said…" George began.

"No you said…"

"Boys," Alexis laughed, preventing a fight to break out between the twins as they had already grabbed a hold of each other's collar. "It's fine. I'll just find another distributor who sells this," she managed a soft smile, carelessly tossing the parcel over the edge as it fell tumbling down to what seemed like a bottomless pit under the bridge.

"We're really sorry Lexi," Fred apologized.

"Wait!" George suddenly snapped his fingers and a grin appeared on his face. "Here take this," he smiled, handing her a leather bracelet he had around his wrist that she'd never noticed before. "It's made out of morphing material and I'm guessing you know what to do with it. I disguised it as a leather bracelet in case I need it for an emergency," he grinned and placed the dark brown leather bracelet in her hand.

"Really George it's fine," she spoke, about to hand it back.

Fred beckoned her to keep it however. "Keep it. It's our fault we ruined your order. And like Georgie said, save it for emergencies. We've placed a charm over it to easily clean and reset itself to a leather bracelet instead of clay, so hopefully it will help. Oh and it looks quite nice as a fashion accessory to. So please take it."

"Yeah, take it as our token of apology," George leaned in and smiled.

"No really, it's fine boys," she smiled and attempted to return it again.

"No really, take it," Fred grinned with finality. "And since George was the one responsible for ruining your order, it will be his present to you," he smirked.

Alexis saw that George was about to protest until Fred harshly elbowed him. She raised an eyebrow, amused by the two Weasley twins. "Well, I guess thank you then. And thanks for always picking up my orders for me when I can't leave the castle."

"It's fine. Though the food here is great we could always use some butterbeer and firewhiskey from the Three Broomsticks and some nice food there too," George smiled.

"Aren't you two a little young to be drinking firewhiskey?"

"Well aren't you?" Fred smirked.

"Are you going to tell on us?" George asked.

"Not if you don't tell anyone that I ask you two to pick up food for me," she smiled, knowing that if others heard that she kept ordering food from the Three Broomsticks, that news would get passed to Silvia a current teacher, and then to Mad-Eye. The ever so vigilant auror would badger her and Tonks with questions no doubt. She returned Fred and George's knowing grin with a mischievous smirk of her own, thanking the boys again for being so kind.

* * *

><p>Finally when evening came around, the trio that was Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided to leave so that Professor Lupin could rest without quiet chatter being heard. At first Hermione questioned Tonks why she'd stayed so long by his side when she claimed she was simply a student who in no way has an interest in their professor other than a feeling of admiration, but luckily Tonks had countered saying she was waiting for Lexi to return and take over the shift. She'd been telling so many lies lately that it became a daunting task for her to keep up with them. Tonks wished that they could just catch Pettigrew already and prove Sirius innocent so that she could go back to a normal life as an auror, if there's any normality in that.<p>

The waxing gibbous moon was beginning to turn full, faster than Tonks had hoped to see. The moon was cold and pale as a corpse, hanging like a taunting light above her in the dark, pitch black sky. No stars were visible that night, and the lack of stars only lowered her already terrible mood. Tonks sighed and leaned back in her chair. She hadn't eaten anything that day, but she wasn't feeling hungry. Remus still hadn't woken up yet, and she was beginning to worry. His breath didn't hitch as much and his scars seem to be getting better and less red. Though she knew that it would only be a matter of time until the full moon forced his body to change from the man to fit that of the wolf, and all his wounds would renew again. She cringed, imagining what sort of excruciating pain he would be in. Her grip around his hand tightened.

"I don't know if you can hear me," she spoke softly, feeling bored. She hadn't spoken much all that day either. The kids did most of the talking when they were there and Tonks only spoke up when it became too hard for her to control her anger in defense of Sirius whenever Harry or Ron would slip and speak bad about him. She knew Hermione was growing suspicious, but the young witch was the least of her worries at the time. "Lexi went and told Padfoot what happened. He's really worried. He'll be the one accompanying you on the night of the full moon. I just hope nothing bad happens then," she sighed.

Gently, Tonks leaned in towards him, closing the distance between their faces. She placed a light kiss upon his lips, a kiss lighter than feathers. The warmth of his lips touched hers and Tonks wished that her feelings for him would be returned. However, just having him as a friend was enough for her. She didn't dare ask for so much.

Tonks closed her eyes and lingered on his lips for a moment. Then she sighed and reluctantly pulled away. She looked up at the sleeping Remus for a while. He'd never looked so helpless and vulnerable. She wished there was something she could do for him, anything at all to take the pain and misery away, but she thought and thought, and nothing came up. Tonks stroked his fingers, her own fingers laced and intertwined with his as her gaze travelled from his hands back up to his subtly handsome scar crossed face. Even in his sleep his aura of gentleness never faded and she could just imagine those soft and kind blue eyes hiding behind his eyelids.

"Oh Miss Tonks, pardon," Poppy Pomfrey's soft voice called to her.

"Poppy," Tonks attempted a smile but she was sure it came out as a grimace. She looked up to see the loving healer bustle in.

"At dinner two letters came for you from your mother I believe, one letter for you and one for Alexis. I had offered to take them to you but Professor Dumbledore said he'd give them to you himself."

Tonks nodded, suspecting the letters to be the howlers she was expecting to come from her mother. After all, they had skipped out on Christmas dinner with her mother and father, after disappearing for a supposedly confidential mission. Tonks' heart jumped in fear, wondering what her mother could have written in the howlers.

"Thank you Poppy. I'll ask Professor Dumbledore for them when I see him," she smiled.

"I would suggest you find him soon Miss Tonks," Poppy spoke worriedly, nodding. "I still have a few things to attend to. If you're tired I can have someone else sit beside Remus for you. You've been here all day and look, you haven't eaten a thing."

"I'm fine Poppy. Thank you. I'd like to stay here a little longer."

"If you wish," she nodded briskly but held a warm smile on her face as she bustled out.

After the healer left, Tonks felt movement in Remus. She immediately turned to see Remus' eyelids flutter and his hand stirred slightly in her grip. She held her breath for a few short moments as he began to wake. He cringed immediately as the waves of pain hit him. Madam Pomfrey had been right, saying it would be better for him if he stayed asleep. Remus' eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the faint light within the room. He heaved a painful breath, cringing again and his hand tightened around hers.

"Hello Nymphadora," Remus uttered weakly, his soft eyes turning to her.

"Wotcher Remus," she spoke, managing a wan smile as he awoke.

"You look tired. Are you unwell?" he asked softly with concern in his voice.

"I'm fine Remus," she assured him with a soft smile, less wan than before.

"Are you sure? Is something wrong?" Remus continued to ask with concern lacing through this soft and gentle voice.

At his constant questioning, Tonks couldn't help but crack a soft laugh. He was in pain, covered in open wounds and bandages, and yet he was worried about her. "_Typical Remus,_" she thought, reminding herself of how selfless he was. "I'm perfectly fine Remus. It's you we've got to worry about," she replied, with a soft an angelic laugh. Remus cracked a smile, seeing the brilliance of her smile that was like a shining sun to him. He didn't know what time it was. He didn't know why he was in so much pain. But the pain numbed over when he laid eyes upon her smile. Remus glowed when he witnessed her hair brighten to a more brilliant shade of pink. There was something special, something indescribable about this woman that always seemed to make him feel better, no matter how terrible his condition.


	18. Secrets of the Shrieking Shack

**Author's Note:**

Ah this chapter was so hard to write! But yet I loved writing every part of it. Hmm, please tell me what you think, anything I can improve on? Thank you for reading! It's not over yet but I still thank you for reading.

Oh by the way, I'm changing my author name to "WordyAndRestless" because I think I've grown out of the "Angelic94" phase. It's a personal thing, I'm sorry I can't explain. But thank you for bearing with me and going through all the pointless teenage stages that no one understands. So now I'm known as "WordyAndRestless" thank you! and again I'm terribly sorry for any confusion.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18 – Secrets of the Shrieking Shack<strong>

On the day of the full moon, Tonks found herself standing inside Albus Dumbledore's office, accompanied by Remus, Alexis, Mad-Eye, and Silvia. Remus had one arm around her shoulder, trying to stand with as much dignity as he could muster in his current battered state. Alexis, Tonks noticed, was fidgeting with her fingers. Her cousin must sense that something was up or something very wrong was going to happen soon. Mad-Eye Moody stood broodingly beside Silvia who had a soft, reassuring smile on her face. They were all waiting for Albus Dumbledore to speak, to allow Tonks and Alexis to help Remus down to the Shrieking Shack. They'd been waiting for the headmaster to begin for a while now, but the man seemed too preoccupied at the moment stroking the vermillion feathers of his phoenix, Fawkes.

"Albus," Moody grunted, fed up with waiting.

Dumbledore smiled and turned away from his phoenix, facing the witches and wizards in his room. "Ah yes, I believe it's sunset already," he spoke calmly in his soothing, reassuring headmaster voice. "I believe you've set all the precautionary shields around the Shrieking Shack?" he asked, turning from Moody to Alexis and Tonks

"We've set everything up sir," Tonks replied, glancing up at Remus.

"Explain to us what you've done," Moody grunted just before Silvia could ask.

"Lexi has set it up so that I'll be holding up the outside confinement charms, preventing anyone from going in and out of the shack entirely. Then Lexi will be the one holding up the charms that will keep Remus at bay and will allow me to go up and check on him often to make sure he's fine," Tonks explained.

"Nymphadora and Alexis will be coming with me?" Remus asked, surprised. They hadn't told him about it till then, knowing the selfless man would disagree and do all that he can to convince them to stay away. "It's dangerous," he spoke in a sterner voice. "Not to mention I won't have wolfsbane. They'll get hurt." Remus' bandages still covered him but he was fit enough to stand on his own now, only occasionally needing a little support as he regained his balance. Tonks held onto him, throwing him a dark glance that pleaded for him just to agree.

"I'm afraid Remus," Dumbledore began with a twinkle in his eyes. "That it's already settled. It took a lot of convincing out of Alastor. But Miss Tonks and Alexis will be accompanying you to keep you safe and keep all of us safe."

Remus opened his mouth, about to protest but Tonks tapped his shoulder and shot him a meaningful glare. He glanced in her eyes and forced himself to be quiet, sighing inwardly, afraid that he would hurt his own best friends, and the only people who cared about him.

"It's time," Moody grunted again, his electric blue mechanical eye shifting quickly between Tonks and Lexi. "You better get there early to prepare, constant vigilance for tonight."

They began filing out of Dumbledore's office, Moody clonking out first with quick, hasty steps. Tonks could tell that her mentor wasn't happy with leaving her and her cousin being the only ones to handle Remus, but it was during that time that she wanted to prove her wrong. Not only will they be able to handle Remus and keep him safe, Tonks wanted to prove to her mentor that along with her cousin Lexi, Tonks will help regain the freedom of an innocent man as well. She tightened her grip on Remus' shabby robes as she helped him out the door. Suddenly, she noticed that Alexis still hung around Dumbledore's office just behind Silvia.

"Something wrong Alexis?" Dumbledore asked and Silvia turned around along with Tonks and Remus to face them.

"I don't know," Lexi replied and for the first time, Tonks saw an expression of worry on her face. "Does anyone else hear that crackling noise, like something's burning?" she asked.

Tonks and Remus stood by the open door, watching as Dumbledore raised his index finger and nodded, acknowledging Lexi's hearing of the noise. When she listened closely, Tonks heard the noise too. It sounded like something was burning. Remus and Silvia must have heard too as they now watched the headmaster walk around his room, seeming to be looking for something. Tonks wondered what he was looking for.

"I seem to have forgotten to hand you two letters we received a few days ago from your mother and your aunt," Dumbledore spoke in a calm voice. "Ah, here they are," he spoke, smiling oddly pleasantly as he showed them the two velvet red letters in his hand, shaking and seeming like they were about to burn up.

Tonks and Alexis both swallowed an audible gulp. She could see her cousin scramble to take her wand out. Tonks moved forward gently, still supporting Remus with his arm around her shoulder. Silvia and Remus watched the girls quietly, recognizing the two velvet red letters in Albus Dumbledore's hands to be two red howlers.

"I'd open it quickly," Dumbledore spoke but yet he didn't move forward to hand the letters over. Tonks was beginning to think he was trying to buy time. Alexis took out her wand and waited for Tonks to snatch the letter as she knew of a way to cancel the effects of howlers.

Tonks took a deep breath when she finally got her hands on the two red letters from Dumbledore. She turned sharply to Alexis who had already begun to wave her wand in a complicated motion. Sadly, she was too late. The two letters jumped out of Tonks' hands, floating in mid-air as small traces of ember began scorching the letters. They pulled apart and slammed together as if tackling the other. The two letters morphed into one and shaped itself into a pair of bright, velvet red origami lips, the white of the letter inside forming to become paper teeth as the deep burgundy ribbon became the tongue. The letter turned to face both Alexis and Tonks who stood side by side. Both had received howlers from Andromeda Tonks before and it was just like being on the receiving end of the Black family outrage. It was never fun.

"NYMPHADORA. TONKS. AND ALEXIS. LYDIA. BLACK!" the letter shrieked in the familiar, enraged voice of Andromeda Tonks. Tonks couldn't help but cringe and almost whimper when she heard her mother scream her name. Alexis subconsciously backed away and heaved a breath, staring at the letter. Tonks was embarrassed when she realized that Remus, Silvia, and Albus Dumbledore were there and judging by the volume of her mother's voice, even a deaf man would be able to hear the letter a mile away. Tonks was so embarrassed; she could literally feel her embarrassment pulsing through the air. "I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! HOW DARE YOU BREAK A PROMISE, not showing up for Christmas dinner? You've gone and DISAPPEARED for months with no explanation other than a confidential mission! Does EITHER OF YOU know how worried we are? How can you two be so IRRESPONSIBLE? ALEXIS LYDIA BLACK! What will your PARENTS say? I may ONLY BE YOUR AUNT but I thought I had more respect from you! YOU CAN'T just disappear for months on end! And NYMPHADORA TONKS! I RAISED YOU TO BE BETTER THAN THIS! I KNEW IT WAS A BAD DECISION, letting you become an AUROR! Your father and I stayed up all night waiting for you and Alexis! If you two are up to your old, mischievous tricks again, I WILL FIND YOU MYSELF, AND BRING YOU STRAIGHT. HOME! You will NEVER leave the house, AGAIN! YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET A HOLD OF YOU! The next time I see you, THE BOTH OF YOU, you two will be in more trouble than the time YOU BLEW UP THE ENTIRE HOGWARTS LIBRARY!" The letter came to a shrieking and very threatening finish, tearing itself into pieces as those pieces burst into flames, leaving only ashes in its wake.

Tonks had to swallow yet another hard gulp after the letter was finished. Alexis heaved a heavy sigh, still standing frozen in her spot. Both Tonks and Lexi knew that Andromeda Tonks never made empty threats. They'd gotten howlers from her before, especially when they were in school and had gotten in trouble for something. Andromeda would scream at them through the letter and it'd be so vivid that Tonks could just imagine her mother standing there screaming at her. However, luckily howlers don't have eyes and could never imitate her mother's killer stares. If looks could kill, the eyes of Andromeda Tonks when she was angry could be a lethal weapon.

Alexis turned to Tonks as a thought suddenly hit them. They both remembered what had happened that summer when they came home after Minerva McGonagall informed Andromeda that the two girls had managed to blow up the entire library with dungbombs. Tonks remembered being screamed at for hours on end. She remembered being locked in the house with no traces of sunlight or outside air for months. And she remembered those icy, threatening glares that practically pulled her apart piece by piece. It had been a nightmare of a summer.

"Well that could have gone better," Dumbledore sighed. "I reckon you should be off now. I suspect you'll need time to prepare for moonrise," he smiled. He seemed unfazed by her mother's screaming and Tonks thought that if he'd handed them the letter earlier instead of buying time, Alexis could have charmed the howlers and saved themselves the embarrassment.

"Yes sir." Tonks walked out with Remus beside her and Alexis and Silvia behind her.

"It's alright Nymphadora, she only cares about you," Remus spoke softly, comfortingly.

"Tonksie, I'm more scared of Andromeda than Bellatrix," Alexis sighed darkly.

"I'm guessing you girls don't want to ever hear of this again," Silvia kept her smile subtle. Tonks knew she was trying hard not to laugh. It wasn't everyday you get to hear your fellow auror get screamed at by their mother. Tonks and Alexis both shot her a very dark glare. The woman with dark brown hair in sharp curls laughed nervously. "Right. I won't say a thing."

"What was that?" they heard a familiar voice gasp.

Tonks quickly morphed her features back to her disguise as a thirteen year-old, shrinking in height as well as she got off the last step from Dumbledore's office.

"Shut up Ronald!" another hushed voice sounded.

"Harry? Ron? Hermione?" Remus asked, looking at the trio standing before him.

"What are you doing here?" Tonks asked after her morph had finished.

"Professor Dumbledore asked to see us to speak about the dementors' particular interest in me," Harry replied. "Where are you headed?" he asked, his eyes showing bemusement as he looked at Tonks who was still supporting Remus, to his shabby and ill professor, to Alexis who had a her large bag around her shoulders and holding three heavy winter cloaks in her arms.

"We're just helping Professor Lupin to…" Alexis began, having a hard time thinking properly as she still could hear Andromeda Tonks' voice screaming in her ears.

"To a more suitable place to recover," Tonks smiled nervously.

"Ah yes. I've been feeling rather under the weather lately and the noise around school isn't doing me any good," Remus smiled nervously as well.

"Right. Off we go," Tonks spoke, pulling Remus along a little bit faster and he had to struggle to keep up. Silvia had left and turned down a different corridor while Tonks and Alexis helped Remus sneak away heading to the Whomping Willow, using the passage they knew led to the Shrieking Shack from there. Tonks heaved a sigh, knowing it was going to be a very long night. Somehow, the letter was foreboding the worse. Remus was shivering beside her as they walked and treaded through the snow. She held onto him tighter. Most of his wounds still aren't closed, but they will just have to do as they couldn't hold back the coming of the moon.

* * *

><p>Inside the Shrieking Shack, Tonks still felt a feeling of fear, despite being there with Alexis and Remus, and knowing that the shack really wasn't haunted at all. All the doors were broken and you can see through part of the walls and ceilings to another room. Termites ate up a lot of the wood and the shack was moaning. It felt like it was swaying back and forth. It was falling apart. The walls were greyer than before and the wood seemed more unstable. Tonks took slow steps, afraid that if she fell she might just fall through to another floor.<p>

The three of them walked in slowly, Tonks helping Remus settle down on the clawed and broken sofa in what she made out to be the living room. Alexis came in after them, crawling up from the small stairs that came from the passage way of the Whomping Willow. She turned to her cousin Tonks whose pretty face was marred with dirt and dust. Lexi had her wand held out as she set her bag down, facing them in the small, creaking room.

"I've got everything set up," Alexis began quickly. Tonks watched as her raven haired cousin dug through her bag in search of something. After a moment, Alexis pulled out two clear orbs that looked like a rememberall, but not quite. "These are spell holding orbs," she smirked.

"You nicked them from the Department of Mysteries didn't you?" Tonks sighed.

"Actually no. These were presents from the Department, after I got my promotion," she grinned. "They'll be able to hold up any charms without wearing out our energy. In order to…keep a feral werewolf at bay…sorry Remus, we'll need strong wards, ones different from normal protection charms. And not to mention we have to keep Remus from harming himself once in wolf form. So all the spells we have to cast would be a complete strain to us the whole night. That's why I brought these. Just cast your spell into these and they'll hold it for you. I have two here, one to keep up the wards outside so that no one comes in or out. And the other is for inside where we keep Remus upstairs and he'll be safe. I could also set it to alert us with a wave of light if Remus hurts himself while in wolf form."

"That sounds good," Tonks nodded. She was alert when they suddenly heard a loud thump. Tonks and Alexis' eyes shifted towards the stairs and the wooden door that led from the Whomping Willow to the shack. The door was closed, just like how they'd left it. But Tonks swore she heard quick, nervous breathing, and none of it came from Remus or her or Alexis.

"Is someone here?" Remus whispered to Tonks, their eyes searching the apparently empty room. "You heard breathing right?"

"But no one could have followed us without being seen," Alexis spoke.

Tonks nodded. "It might just be a figment of our imagination though," she spoke softly.

"I can just hear Mad-Eye Moody screaming _constant vigilance_ in our faces," Alexis sighed. "Come on Tonks, help me unpack. Remus, I suggest you take this potion. It will further heal your wounds so that transformation won't make you scream bloody murder," Lexi spoke, handing him a large bottle of a greenish potion.

"Thank you Alexis, Tonks," Remus sighed, taking the potion Tonks brought to him.

"By the way, you can drop your morph now Tonksie," she laughed. "Seeing your thirteen year old self scares me a bit."

"How come you never said so before," Tonks replied, morphing back to her normal adult self, her hair grown out a bit longer as well but still retaining its bubblegum pink color. "And what's this?" she asked, unshrinking a large white package.

"That's food from the Three Broomsticks. I ordered enough to feed us _and_ Padfoot."

"Speaking of Padfoot," Remus began. "Where is he?"

"Oh I told him to get some sleep before we came because he'll be the one walking up and down tonight making sure you're alright," Alexis replied. "I'll go wake him. Tonksie unpack."

"Blimey Lexi stop calling me Tonksie," Tonks groaned.

"Fine I'll call you Nymphadora," Lexi retorted.

"Alexis Black! I'm going to send you a howler of my own!" Tonks yelled at her cousin who disappeared up the rotting, creaking staircase.

Remus sat back and chuckled. "Nymphadora thank you for everything."

"Oh stop it," Tonks sighed, patting his hand slowly and rolling her eyes. "We're friends and I'd do anything to help you. Besides, in case you've forgotten, I made a promise to you during the October Blood Moon that I'd come to help and check on you every morning after your transformation. If I couldn't be here now, you'll still see me early tomorrow morning. You're not pushing me away that easily," she smiled.

He couldn't help but smile when he heard her repeat the promise. It seemed so simple a promise, but he was so grateful she cared. "I just don't want to risk you getting in danger."

"I'm an auror Remus. We've been through this before," she spoke with a serious look in her eyes, taking his hand. "I'll be perfectly fine. Like I said before, it's you we've got to worry about. You're still badly injured and moonrise is fast approaching."

Remus nodded. He was about to speak when he suddenly spotted his best friend and his best friend's cousin standing on both sides of the doorway. Tonks turned to follow Remus' gaze to meet the almost identical grins of Sirius Black and Alexis Black. She raised an eyebrow. Alexis looked like a lot of the Black family, but her resemblance to Sirius was shocking as well. The mischievous and darkly handsome/beautiful grin they had on their faces were…identical.

"I've never seen you so bloody beat up Moony," Sirius grinned.

"Well get used to it Padfoot," Remus replied, as he grinned a wolfish grin.

Sirius chuckled. His face didn't look as hallow and haunted as before. He was still lanky, but he didn't look starving like the first time Remus had seen him after Sirius' escape from Azkaban. Sirius was also wearing the winter cloak his cousins had bought him over his Azkaban uniform. He had a dark, Sirius-like grin on his face and Remus was glad to see that his best friend was doing well to recover the twelve years lost.

The lanky raven haired man continued to chuckle as he made his way over to Remus. However, just as Sirius got in the middle of the living room, something happened that none of them had expect. Not Remus, not Tonks, none of them.

"You!" a familiar voice shrieked.

Remus turned in the direction of the voice and immediately saw Harry Potter rip an invisibility cloak off himself, revealing a scared and worried looking Ron and Hermione in his wake. Before they could do anything, Harry lunged himself at Sirius and pinned the lanky man down to the ground, taking him completely by surprise. The boy with glasses and messy black hair took out his wand from inside his jacket and jabbed the tip at Sirius' throat, threatening him with a look of pure anger and rage in his eyes.

He looked at the man below him. Harry must have seen how different he looked from the wanted posters. Sirius wasn't laughing madly and his eyes didn't glisten with a dark, foreboding murderous twinkle. He didn't look like the murderer they made him out to be. But Harry was still seething with anger as he gripped Sirius' neck with one hand, his wand in his other.

"Harry!" Remus called after, attempting to stand but only faltering and falling back down again. Tonks gave him a look telling him to stay seated as she stood up slowly.

"It was you! I'm going to kill you," Harry growled, huffing with rage.

"Harry no!" Hermione shrieked and attempted to pull Harry off but the boy pushed her away harshly and she fell back into Ron's arms. "Harry you can't do that!"

"He killed my mum and dad! You're the reason they're dead. You sold them to Voldemort! He was my dad's best friend in school did you know that?" he asked, looking up at everyone in the room. "You _killed_ your best friends. He sold my parents to Voldemort. He killed Peter Pettigrew and thirteen other muggles with a single curse," Harry continued to explain. "And he just stood there. All that was left of Pettigrew…was his finger."

"Harry, let. Him. Go," Tonks spoke softly, making sure every word she said was clear.

"No!" Harry shrieked, looking up at her and then turning from her to Alexis who had now shuffled over beside Tonks. "I trusted you! And after all this time, you've been his friend," Harry spoke, sounding hurt. "You lied to us! And you even disguised yourself to be our friends!"

"Harry let Sirius go and we will explain everything," Tonks sighed, trying to get closer to him, holding both her hands out. "Let him go."

"No! He betrayed my parents! He killed Peter Pettigrew."

"No he didn't Harry," Remus spoke up in defense of his friends. "I thought so too. We all did. But the truth is Sirius is innocent. He never betrayed your parents, it was Peter Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew's dead. You killed him!" Harry spoke, turning back to Sirius, shaking in rage.

Sirius let out a laugh as he looked at his godson in the face. Harry had James' face, but Lily's eyes. That was the first thing that registered in Sirius' mind. The second was that his godson now had him at the tip of his wand with rage in his eyes. "Are you going to kill me Harry?" Sirius laughed, sounding like he was taunting the boy.

"Sirius be quiet," Tonks and Remus both spoke at the same time.

"It's not him Harry now let him go," Alexis sighed, stroking her cheek as she crossed her arms. Her eyes turned from the boy to Hermione and Ron who stood together at the corner, staring at the scene with fear and disbelief in their eyes. "Now if you will just calm down we'll explain to you everything," she spoke, sounding more commanding and older.

"No don't believe them Harry," Hermione spoke up, breathing heavily. To Tonks, the kids looked as if they've had a bad run in with the Whomping Willow. But then she remembered they must have gotten to the shack using that passage. "Tonks…if that's your real name, is a metamorphmagus. She pretended to be a kid this whole time. And Lexi is Alexis Black. She's related to him! And he's a werewolf! They want you dead too. They've been helping Black this whole time," she spoke, pointing a finger at each of them.

Remus sighed as Tonks wanted to face palm herself. Hermione just managed to give all of them the skeptical look they hated so much. She managed to keep herself calm, knowing that they need to explain to the kid. She turned back to Harry who was staring at them in confusion.

"Hermione you are correct in saying Nymphadora…err Tonks, is a metamorphmagus," Remus spoke in a shockingly conversational tone. "And you're correct in saying Alexis is related to Sirius. And you are correct in saying that I am a werewolf. But none of us are trying to kill Harry. None of us want Harry dead, I assure you."

"Professor Dumbledore hired you when he knows you're a werewolf?" Ron asked and his skeptical look was worse than Hermione. "Is he mad?"

"It did take a lot of convincing, especially to the other teachers that I am trustworthy."

"And he was wrong you've been helping Sirius Black," Harry cut in.

"I have been helping him only because he's an innocent man. He never betrayed your parents. He never killed anybody. He was Peter's scapegoat," Remus explained calmly.

"And Hermione, being a werewolf does not make someone untrustworthy," Tonks spoke.

"How did you know Hermione?" Remus asked.

"Since Professor Snape set the essay."

"Oh he'll be delighted," Remus managed a dark chuckle. "Harry I was your father's friend," Remus began in a softer voice. "And so was Sirius. But Sirius never betrayed them. Peter Pettigrew was their secret keeper and he betrayed them."

"Peter Pettigrew was killed by him. The ministry said those muggles saw him do it," Harry spoke, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"They saw what Peter wanted them to see," Sirius spoke up in a louder, much more serious voice. He simply laid there, unafraid of Harry as he spoke to the boy. "It was Peter who killed those muggles in an explosion spell. The dirty coward cut off his own finger so that everyone would think he was dead! And then he transformed into a rat!" Sirius retorted.

"_Expelliarmus_," a dry voice spoke as Harry's wand flew out of his hand. A soft squeal was heard from Ron as they all turned towards the entrance to the living room and saw Snape enter, his wand in his hand. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? I knew you three were helping him into the castle," Snape spoke, pointing his wand towards Lexi and Tonks. "You were trying to help prove him innocent as well."

"And we could have actually had somewhat of a start if you hadn't let some childish grudge get in the way of saving an innocent man," Tonks spat.

"Professor," Hermione spoke, glancing between Snape and Remus. "What's going on?"

"Yes Black, Lupin, and Nymphadora," Snape replied. "What's going on?"

"Which Black are you speaking to Snivelly?" Sirius laughed as Tonks growled at Snape.

Snape made a look of disgust on his face as he pointed his wand down to Sirius. "I could do it you know. I know the spell. But why deny the dementors…"

"Severus don't be a fool," Remus spoke up, trying to get up from the sofa but his wounds are preventing him from doing much. He cringed from the pain and had to give up again.

"I told the headmaster again and again that none of you are to be trusted," Snape spoke, turning from Remus to Tonks, to Alexis. "And here's the proof. Not even I'd dream that you'd use this old place as your hideout."

"Severus, why don't you shut up and listen?" Tonks grumbled at him.

"We asked you before what you knew about Peter Pettigrew being the spy for Voldemort," Alexis spoke. "You knew information that pointed to Sirius being innocent all along. And you wouldn't help him because of what he did to you back in school. Since we aren't lying to you and Sirius actually is innocent, will you sit back so we can explain it to the kids?"

"Alright, explain yourselves then," Snape spoke, eyes still skeptical and cold.

Tonks was taking a small step towards Harry but Snape's wand pointed up to her. She suddenly heard a noise emit from her robe pockets. It was a small noise that sounded like metal gliding on glass. She recognized that noise immediately and turned to Alexis who had realized it too. Soon the noise grew louder and everyone in the room heard. Bemused expressions fell on all their faces except for Tonks and Alexis.

"He's here," Tonks spoke to her cousin, turning from Alexis to Sirius then to Remus.

Alexis nodded and scrambled to pick up her two orbs left lying on the clawed and broken table in the middle of the room. She handed one to Tonks. Lexi then took out what Harry thought looked like a glass compass and showed them all where the noise was coming from.

"Who's here? What's that?" Harry asked quickly, looking up, still not letting go of his grip on Sirius' collar. "What's going on?"

"Tonks you're faster," Lexi spoke to Tonks and then turned to face the crowd. "This is a locator, a magical instrument from the Department of Mysteries," she explained as Tonks casted a series of charms quickly onto the clear orb that looked like a rememberall. "It can track down anyone as long as they're still alive. Tonks and I have been using this to look for Peter Pettigrew this whole time. And the indicator says he's in here, right now. Severus we would appreciate it if you lowered your wand," she spoke shortly to Snape.

"Now, if everyone will sit down, we will explain, everything," Tonks spoke after Snape reluctantly lowered his wand, his beady black eyes still glaring at them.

"Harry get off of Sirius," Alexis spoke, drawing her own wand as well. "_Homenum Revelio_," she spoke and a wave of light emitted from the tip of her wand. "He's really here."

"Scabbers!" Ron yelled when they all saw a rat dart across the room.

Not allowing herself to be distracted, Tonks quickly casted the final confinement and protection charms and it quickly pulsed waves of blue lights. Sirius broke free of Harry's grasp a bit too harshly as the boy fell back. The rat ran towards the open window in the living room but bounced back after the last wave of blue light pulsed from the orb in Tonks' hand and the orb began floating in the middle of the room. The rat scurried back onto its feet but Sirius had grabbed a hold of it. He held it in a vice like grip. Remus knew his friend was tempted to squeeze the life out of the rat, but luckily Sirius thought better of it and handed it to Alexis.

"Scabbers!" Ron cried but made no sudden movements. "Leave him alone. He's scared!"

"Of course he'll be scared," Sirius breathed and smirked. He bent down and offered to help Harry up but the boy pushed him away and went to stand near Ron and Hermione.

"You're all mental. Give Scabbers back!" Ron continued as the rat squealed.

"Ah you're a nasty little wanker aren't you?" Alexis smirked as the rat attempted to bite her finger but a previous protective coat around her hand prevented him to do so.

"What are you doing?" Severus Snape asked, still looming beside the doorway.

"Everyone just calm down and we'll explain everything," Tonks spoke again in a more commanding voice. Snape straightened himself, still not lowering his wand as he looked down his nose at them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood together, their eyes darting between Sirius, Alexis, Tonks, and Remus. Tonks heaved a heavy sigh. "After news of Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban, the Ministry worried that he was going after Harry Potter. So they sent a team of aurors and Unspeakables to Hogwarts in order to not only protect Harry, but to capture Sirius as well. That's why you saw Mad-Eye Moody that one time in the Great Hall. I'm an auror and Lexi is an Unspeakable. Lexi and I were the first to find Sirius and he explained to us what really happened that night when the Potters got killed. This was what led us to believe him. Sirius where's the clipping?" she asked as Sirius dug through his tattered prison robes and pulled out the newspaper clipping of the Weasleys in Egypt. Tonks handed it to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"That's us," Ron spoke. "What does this have anything to do with it? Don't hurt him!" he spoke, noticing Alexis was tightening her grip around the rat who was desperately trying to run.

"In that picture you had your rat in your hands," Sirius spoke, crawling up to sit beside Remus on the sofa. "That rat is actually an animagus, by the name of Peter Pettigrew."

"And we got Remus to talk to Sirius as well," Tonks continued, giving Snape a death glare as he seemed to be rolling his eyes. "After we've confirmed that it was indeed Pettigrew, Remus, Lexi and I have been trying to get a hold of the rat for months. That incident when your bed curtains were shredded and you were led to the Great Hall that had been our doing."

"I shredded the curtains and pretended to be Sirius," Alexis spoke. "It was rather easy to get past that dolt Sir Cadogan. I did it so we could have a distraction and a reason to openly take your rat. However, I've forgotten that the dirty little coward can bite. He bit Ron and got away."

"And Professor Snape here is withholding valuable information that could help in proving Sirius Black's innocence, all because of a silly, childish grudge," Tonks spoke through clenched teeth as she glared at the potions master in all black robes.

"Nymphadora…" Snape began.

"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora!" Tonks snapped.

"Grow up Severus," Sirius sighed. "It was a little fun back in school."

"The both of you nip it," Alexis sighed.

"Show me," Harry spoke up, ignoring the slight distraction. "Show me that's Pettigrew."

"You're all mental," Ron cried. "Scabbers has been in my family for…"

"Twelve years!" Sirius cut him off. "Curiously long life for a common garden rat!"

"We took good care of him!"

"He's missing a toe isn't he?" Sirius growled.

"All they found of Pettigrew was his finger," Harry began in a calmer voice.

Tonks huffed and ignored Ron as Alexis held the rat out at arms' length. Tonks flicked her wand at him, muttering an incoherent spell. Then suddenly, the rat in Alexis' hand quickly shifted and increased in size. He transformed from his rat form into his human form, Peter Pettigrew. Ron was struck silent, watching as his rat transformed. A very short and portly man took the rat's place. Alexis quickly grabbed his collar and held him still with her long, black wand pointed at his face. The man had small, watery eyes and thinned brown hair that had lost its color with a large bald patch. He scurried around, his eyes fearful as they fell on Sirius.

"Hello Peter," Remus spoke again rather conversationally. "It's been a long time.

"Remus! Sirius!" the man panted in a squeaky voice. "My old friends!"

"Get back," Alexis growled at the short and portly man, holding him up practically by his collar as he'd tried to push her away and escape. "I'm not going to hesitate to kill you."

"Sirius' little cousin!" Peter panted again, turning to her. "You've got to let me go." He turned to everyone in the room quickly, his finger pointed as Sirius. "You don't believe him do you? He tried to kill me! I knew he'd be after me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years."

"You knew Sirius would come after you?" Remus questioned. He got up with Tonks' help, walking over to Alexis who tightened her grip and nearly lifted Peter off his feet by his collar. "You knew Sirius would escape Azkaban when no one's done it before?"

"He who must not be named taught him a few tricks!" Peter scurried, trying to back up.

Harry stood beside Snape, watching the scene. He couldn't believe his eyes. He spotted that the man was indeed missing a finger, and his jittery and nervous nature was making him seem more guilty by the passing second. Hermione and Ron turned to look up at him, Ron no longer defending his rat after seeing what he actually was.

"Voldemort?" Sirius laughed, getting up as well and about to grab Peter's collar if not for Tonks pushing him back. "What? Scared to hear your old master's name?" he taunted.

"D…don't know what you mean," Peter scrambled. "Severus," he spoke, trying to get to Snape but Alexis yanked him roughly back by his collar and Snape raised his wand, now pointed at no one but Peter. "Severus you honestly don't believe them do you? You _hated_ Sirius. You know he's lying! He's lying I tell you!"

Tonks turned to see Snape who looked like he was lost in his thoughts, glaring at Pettigrew. "I'm believing everything I see right now," Snape replied dryly. "You seem more guilty than Black does," he spoke. Tonks was glad at least the man saw some sort of reason.

"Professor," Hermione spoke unsurely to Remus. "Can I…can I ask you something?"

"Of course you may Hermione," Remus replied.

"This…this man had been sleeping in the same dormitory as Harry for three years. If he's really working for You-Know-Who, how…how come he'd never tried to hurt Harry until now?"

"Yes," Peter panted, trying to scurry over to Hermione but Tonks pushed him back. "Kind girl, clever girl, thank you. You see? I'd never hurt Harry. Why should I?"

"Because you'd never do anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you," Sirius spitted at the traitor. "You'd never have the nerve to commit murder on Harry Potter under Albus Dumbledore's nose for Voldemort, a man who's thought to be dead."

"You mustn't believe his lies," Peter trembled. "He…the Dark Lord taught him everything! And he…he escaped from Azkaban. How can he do that without the help of dark magic? Answer me!"

Harry turned from Pettigrew to Sirius. No longer did they see anger or rage in the boy's eyes when he looked at the haunted man from Azkaban. Harry looked at Sirius with simple bemusement, asking for the questions to be answered.

"You want to know how I did it?" Sirius laughed bitterly. "I slipped right through the bars that's how! I don't know how I kept myself sane. It's because of you three," Sirius smiled wanly, looking at Remus, Tonks, and Alexis. "You three, the thought of seeing you again, Remus' bookworm self, Lexi's mischievous smirk, and Tonks' colorful hair, and my family, there's Andromeda too, it was the thought of you that kept me sane. And…I knew I was innocent. It kept me sane enough to live through Azkaban. I was underfed. In my animagus form, I could slip right through the bars, Peter!"

"You're an animagus too?" Harry asked.

"They all were," Remus answered for him. "Harry, your father, Sirius, Peter and I were the best of friends in school. Severus knew us. We were in the same year. We were called the Marauders," Remus sighed.

"The Marauder's Map…you made it…"

"Yes. Moony, was me, because I am a werewolf and transform on the full moon. Wormtail was Peter because he is a rat. Padfoot was Sirius whose animagus is a dog. And Prongs was your father Harry. His animagus was a stag. They were my best friends," Remus spoke softly, turning to Peter with disappointment in his eyes. "They found out I was a werewolf and instead of abandoning me or making fun of me," he looked up at Snape, his eyes pleading Snape to see that Sirius wasn't as bad as he thought he was. "They became animagi to accompany me during the full moon. They made my transformations better. Because you see, werewolves are animals, and won't hurt other animals. Werewolves behave like any other animals and in our wolf form, we only hurt humans because…because we smell them as prey. Severus has taught you all of this in class I suspect." Remus heaved a soft sigh as he gestured for Tonks to help him across the room. He raised his hand to a low beam on the ceiling and it was then that they all noticed the words carved on the beam. "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Remus read as Sirius closed his eyes for a moment in grief. "Then there were four, now there are two."

"After everything you've done Peter, you're dead to us," Sirius sighed.

Pettigrew was shaking, trembling in fear. Even he knew that it was hard to believe him as all points of his arguments were easily shot down. Alexis' grip on him had tightened again, the tip of her long black wand jabbed against his cheek as she glared at him. He shook again under those eyes, those eyes that were so like Sirius'. Peter panicked and he turned in all directions. He harshly broke off Alexis' grip, causing her to grunt at him and was about to hex him until Remus held a hand over her wand and quietly shook his head as Peter ran around the room, knowing he was completely trapped in the shack.

"Admit it Peter," Remus spoke softly. "You sold James and Lily to Voldemort."

"I…I didn't mean to!" the portly man seemed like he wanted to shrink away but failed dramatically at the feat. "The Dark Lord, you've no idea the weapons he possesses! He was going to kill me! He'd kill me!" Peter cried.

"Then you should have died! Died rather than betray your friends, as we would have done for you!" Sirius shouted in a mix of anger and disappointment at the man.

"He was the one…not Sirius," Harry panted, regaining his wand and pointing it at Peter.

"That's not the only sick betrayal he's done," Lexi spoke up from beside Tonks. "Now that we've got one of your betrayals out of the way, shall we move onto another?"

"I…I didn't do anything else!" Peter cried, cringing back as Alexis allowed Sirius to completely grab the short man by his collar.

"Sirius, I told you this when I came to visit you, remember?" she asked with an icy smirk.

"As if betraying James wasn't enough, you tried to kill Remus too didn't you?" Sirius screamed at the man, lifting him a good foot off the ground by his collar.

"What?" Harry and Hermione both gasped, looking at them with worry and horror.

"It was him," Snape said dryly, realizing how his potion had been tampered with.

"Harry, when you three came to visit Remus err Professor Lupin in the hospital wing and you thought it was Sirius who poisoned Remus," Tonks sighed. "It wasn't Sirius. Sirius would never do that. It was this little traitor the whole time."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Peter squealed. "Remus…I…I would never hurt you! You're my friend Remus!"

"Liar!" Sirius yelled, shaking the frightened man. "After that incident in the Great Hall, you needed to escape didn't you! And you heard that Albus Dumbledore had sealed off the entire castle and grounds so there was no way out. But you remembered, you remembered that Remus uses the Shrieking Shack each month to transform, and you knew that with Remus here, Dumbledore would leave the passage from the Whomping Willow to the shack open for Remus."

"And you were afraid that if you simply came to the Shrieking Shack on the night of the full moon, Remus in his wolf form would catch you," Tonks spoke, her anger and rage directed towards the squirming man who shook under her threatening eyes. "You were afraid that if he caught you, he'd figure everything out and hurt you. So you poisoned him."

"You were an idiot in school Peter," Sirius growled. "But if there's one class you were good at, it's potions!" He shot Peter a death glare. "So you snuck into Snape's office and added excess amount of aconite or the wolfsbane plant into the batch of wolfsbane potion Snape had in his office, knowing they were meant for Remus. You knew that if he drank it, he'd be poisoned and be put in the hospital wing, and he wouldn't go to the shack on this full moon. You were going to use that plan to escape!"

"Pettigrew," Snape sneered. "It was you. I knew I doubled checked I had the right amount of the ingredients when I brewed the potion. It was you who tampered with my potion," he spoke, sounding reasonably angry for the first time to Harry.

"You poisoned your best friend without so much as a second thought!" Sirius roared.

"No! You have to believe me! I didn't mean to!" Peter cried, reaching for Remus' robes. He clung onto Remus' robes even though the broken man wouldn't look at him. Remus turned to Tonks, his eyes showing pain of betrayal. "Remus! Remus you have to forgive me! I didn't mean to!" Peter continued to cry in a squeaky voice.

"You betrayed my parents. You killed those muggles. You framed Sirius. And now you poisoned Professor Lupin?" Harry asked, unbelieving that such a man existed.

"No please! Sirius' cousin," he panted, grabbing onto Tonks' sleeve. "You've got to help me. He's a werewolf. He would have killed me! You would hurt him too if you were in my position," he pleaded shamelessly. "You would be afraid of him too."

Tonks growled and neither Alexis nor Sirius were surprised when she suddenly shifted Remus' weight to Sirius and grabbed Pettigrew out of Sirius' hands. Tonks shook the man, slammed him down to the ground and punched him several times across his dirty, cowardly little face. "I would never do that. I'm not afraid of Remus. You little bastard!" she yelled, punching him again as he whimpered and a loud, painful crack was heard as her fist collided with his face. "You're pathetic. Remus was your friend! He never spoke bad about you! Even if he is a werewolf, there's nothing to fear about him. In fact, he's a better man than you will ever be."

"Settle down Tonks," Alexis breathed as she pried the angry auror off the portly traitor.

"No!" Peter squealed and scrambled to his knees, crawling over and gripping Remus' robes as he pleaded the man. "Remus please. You must forgive me. You know I'm afraid!"

"Peter," Remus sighed. "You betrayed James and Lily. You framed Sirius…and you even admitted that you tried to…hurt me. I could never forgive you," he spoke softly, painfully.

"I can't believe someone could actually do that," Ron gasped, disgusted.

"Enough talk," Sirius sighed, impatient. "Peter you don't know how tempted I am to wait until the full moon and actually feed you to Remus! You don't know how tempted I am to commit the murder I was imprisoned for, that is to murder you!" he screamed, grabbing the short and portly man again, this time jabbing a wand at his throat. "_Ava_…"

"No!" Harry suddenly screamed, stopping Sirius.

"Harry," Remus sighed. "This man…"

"I know what he is. He's a monster. But you can't kill him…Sirius. You can't kill him because then they would have a reason to throw you back into Azkaban. I don't want you back in there. My dad wouldn't. Professor Lupin wouldn't. And I know Tonks and Alexis wouldn't either. You can't kill him."

"I know you're just like your father Harry, merciful," Sirius sighed. "But he doesn't deserve it," he spat at Pettigrew who was crawling around on the floor.

"No," Harry replied calmly. "I just don't want my godfather to go back to prison."

Listening to the boy, he couldn't help but smile. "What do you suggest we do?" Sirius asked in a calmer voice now. "Give him to Remus and say it was an _accident_ in the morning?" He then threatened and glared at Peter who whimpered.

"We'll take him back to the castle," Harry spoke. "We'll take him back to prove Sirius' innocence. He'll be charged for everything he's done right? Murder, betrayal, and everything?" Harry asked, turning to look at Lexi and Tonks, the two people he knew were from the Ministry.

"He'll be charged for everything. And if Professor Snape would testify against him, he'll face the proper punishment," Alexis nodded, assuring Harry of the justice.

They all saw Peter panic as he grabbed onto Hermione's pants. "Clever girl, please help me! I'll die in Azkaban!" he ran over to Ron. "Kind boy, kind master, you can't let them take me away. I was your rat. I was your rat!" he pleaded.

"Get away from me. I let you sleep in my bed!" Ron replied, sounding disgusted.

Peter scurried over to Snape. "Severus, you honestly don't believe them! This is all a scheme! I never made fun of you in school. Help me!" Peter panted as he clung onto Snape's robes, knowing he had no more chances with the others in the room. "Severus, help me! I never made fun of you! It was Sirius! You don't trust him do you! Help me please!" he pleaded.

"I hate Black…but it doesn't mean that you weren't the one who betrayed your own friends," Snape finally spoke. "I saw you then. You were captured by the Dark Lord for several days and during that time you must have told him Lily Potter's location so that he went and killed her," Snape spoke dryly. "You were the traitor all along. And you tampered with my potion. If you'd killed Lupin, I would have been the one taking the blame. You're a pathetic traitor, the lowest scum of the Earth."

"What will happen when we take him back? And what about Sirius?" Hermione asked.

"Mad-Eye Moody will bring Pettigrew to the Minister and we'll demand a proper trial with new evidence and new charges," Tonks sighed. "Sirius will get his innocence. This dirty little coward will go to Azkaban, where he belongs."

Harry's eyes turned to Alexis who had shifted her wand to her left hand as she pulled off the leather bracelet she had on. Tonks raised an eyebrow, wondering where her cousin had gotten it. "It's a small present Tonksie," Lexi smirked subtly, answering Tonks' unasked question. "It's made of morphing material," she explained as she held the bracelet in her hand and with a tap of her wand, the bracelet turned into a metal rat cage. "I charmed it unbreakable. Put him in here."

"No! No please!" Peter squealed but Sirius grabbed him by the collar again and lifted him up. "No please! I didn't mean to!" Peter cried. "Remus! Tell them to let me go! I didn't mean to. Remus I didn't mean to hurt you! Sirius I'm sorry!" Peter cried.

Remus was the one who waved his wand, casting a spell on Peter that forced him back into his animagus form. Sirius now held the rat in his hand. He held it tightly as the rat attempted to pry its way out. Alexis opened the rat cage and Sirius set him inside, closing the door shut. The rat scampered around inside the cage, squealing and biting but to no avail.

"Cast a silencing charm on it as well, will you cuz?" Tonks sighed.

Alexis nodded and tapped the cage with her wand again, silencing the rat inside who still scurried all over inside the metal cage. She placed the cage down on the floor and sat down as Tonks helped Remus back to his seat in the sofa and Sirius sat on the ground beside Lexi. They looked up at Snape and the trio who still stood rather awkwardly beside the doorway.

"It's over. We finally got Pettigrew." Tonks sighed and turned to Sirius to see him grin.

"Betrayal. Murder. Framing of an innocent man. Hiding from the law. Attempt to poison another man. Pettigrew's got it rough with the Wizengamot," Lexi spoke as Sirius grinned wider.

"Now you know the truth," Remus sighed. "How did you three get here anyways?"

"I've been suspicious of Tonks and Lexi for a while. I told Harry and Ron and we watched them and realized they don't seem to be who they say they were. Tonks and Lexi both knew magic way too complicated for students. Hagrid told us a bit about knowing you two before. And we mailed Ron's brother Charlie and he said you were his friends," Hermione explained. "Then today, when Professor Dumbledore asked to see us, we heard someone screaming as we approached his office. It sounded like someone yelling at you two. And Harry heard the surname Black from Alexis Lydia Black," she turned to Lexi. "He wanted to follow you thinking you're suspicious. So after we spoke with Professor Dumbledore we quickly followed you here and through the Whomping Willow using Harry's invisibility cloak."

"Yes, I'd almost forgotten about James' cloak," Remus smiled softly.

"Of course Prongs would pass the cloak onto the next generation of Marauders," Sirius laughed, casually picking up a piece of dinner bread from inside a white box beside Lexi's bag.

"And Severus…thank you for telling us what you knew," Remus sighed.

"You repeated it already," Tonks began. "Can't you repeat it again as a testimony to the Wizengamot? And you can give them your testimony on Pettigrew tampering with your potion."

"If I am convinced that Black isn't a complete and utter git," Snape replied dryly.

"Thank you Severus. But I don't need your help if you're going to call me a complete and utter git. Go back and play with your chemistry set," Sirius retorted.

Tonks slapped his arm, her eyes giving him a threatening glare. "We need his help."

"We've got Peter and that's enough," Sirius replied stubbornly.

"Severus please ignore Sirius," Remus attempted to smile wanly. "Thank you."

"Git. He's only doing it because he's afraid he might get blamed for poisoning you. I think he planned to do it but Peter just beat him to it," Sirius grumbled.

"Sirius shut up," Lexi sighed. "Isn't it moonrise?" she asked Tonks and Remus suddenly.

Remus turned to Tonks and nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so," he sighed, feeling his chest tighten and his heartbeat rising as the moon rose higher.

"Remus I'll help you upstairs," Tonks spoke, helping him to his feet. Remus opened his mouth about to say something but she'd already beat him to it, quelling his worry. "I'll come down right away and it will be Sirius who's checking on you often, to be sure you're alive. We'll monitor you through Lexi's charmed orbs," she gestured to the orb in Lexi's hand and the one in the air. "It'll emit a blue wave if he's in danger right?" she asked and Lexi nodded.

"Thank you Nymphadora," Remus smiled as he painfully took each step upstairs.

"I guess I'll be heading up to help my friend then," Sirius announced with a soft smile.

"Wait," Harry suddenly spoke and Sirius stopped and looked back. "You're…you're not going to get hurt are you?" Harry asked unsurely.

He managed to make the man smile and Sirius shook his head. "No. Moony won't hurt me when I'm in my animagus form," he spoke. "Don't worry Harry." Sirius smiled again and patted the boy's shoulder gently before he headed upstairs.

"Can you see how happy he is?" Alexis asked as she took a seat down by the sofa, tapping the second orb that looked like a rememberall with her wand and like the first one, that orb emitted waves of blue light and floated up to join the other orb floating in the middle of the ceiling. "He's got Pettigrew meaning he can get his freedom back. He's got his beloved godson back," she smirked at Harry who managed a small but genuine smile. "And he's not entirely a git," she then turned to Snape and smirked.

"Black is still as immature as ever," Snape sneered icily.

"But he's not a complete and utter git. He's loyal to his friends," Alexis defended with a soft, knowing smile. "And in time hopefully you'll see he's not as annoying as he used to be."

"Now how do we get out of here? Through the Whomping Willow?" Snape asked.

"Yeah…Lexi…?" Hermione asked unsurely. "How do we get out of here?"

"You can still call me Lexi," Alexis smiled. "My real name is Alexis Black, but I still go by Lexi. Tonks and Sirius calls me that all the time. Now for the matter of getting out of here…" she paused, gesturing towards the two floating orbs that glowed blue. "I'm afraid…no one can get in or out until sunrise," she smirked, turning to look at each and every one of their faces. "_This is going to be even more of an interesting night that it already is,_" she thought, thinking about Snape, Sirius, Tonks, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and her having to spend a night together at the Shrieking Shack while a feral werewolf Remus stalked upstairs. "_Oh yes, very interesting._"


	19. Forgetful Moon, Innocent Man

**Chapter 19 – Forgetful Moon, Innocent Man**

Before she left, Tonks took one last glimpse at Remus once she reached the stairs. Turning around, her eyes immediately met with his, as if they'd been waiting to meet the entire time. Gentle soft blue met mysterious dark green and for that moment, Tonks wished time could have stopped. Looking into his eyes, Tonks felt that there was more between them than simple friendship, much more. But she didn't dare to wish for too much. To Tonks, she didn't dare hope for more, being as young and reckless as she was. She thought Remus would want someone more mature, more caring. Tonks took a soft breath and smiled at him once, a gentle, barely there smile. His lips quirked upwards as well and after she memorized his kind smile inside her mind, Tonks finally turned around and descended the stairs. She passed through the foggy barrier that separated Remus from the rest and couldn't help but turn around. She saw Sirius' back to her as he bent over, seeming to help Remus with something. She could faintly see his face through the foggy barrier and was so tempted to step back through to him.

She'd seen him transform once before, but she knew it was nowhere near as painful as what he was about to go through. As she took the last few steps down to the landing below, Tonks' heart throbbed and pained when she heard a low groan. That was Remus, trying to hold back his scream with as much dignity as he could muster, she knew. Her eyes snapped shut as she stood on the last step of the stairs. She wanted to pull herself away, to detach herself from the world for a moment just so she didn't have to hear him scream. But it didn't happen and the low, painful groans turned into a loud shriek of pain. Soon that shriek turned back into a low groan, a growl, and Tonks knew that the transformation was over.

"_He'll be alright_," Tonks reminded herself and took a deep breath.

Inside what seemed to be the living room that was literally falling apart of the Shrieking Shack, Tonks could see that Lexi had already set up a heating charm around the shack, downstairs and up. She sighed and walked over to them. Suddenly, a bright flash of white light caught her eyes from outside the window and without a word, Tonks immediately rushed over to check. She looked outside to the dark surroundings. All she saw was grass and some low shrubs.

"What's wrong Tonks?" Alexis asked, standing up and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come on, he'll be fine," she spoke softly.

Tonks nodded. "I know he'll be," she sighed. "I just thought I saw a flash of white light."

"Something touched the barrier, that's what caused the white light. But it may just be some small animal. I warded the whole place off here and a little bit off the landing too. No one's going to get in or out until sunrise. We'll worry about it then," Lexi spoke to her cousin.

"Is…is Professor Lupin going to be alright transforming in his current condition?" Hermione's voice asked softly.

She patted Lexi's hand on her shoulder and turned to face the others. Tonks saw that Ron and Hermione were seated beside the cold mantle while Harry stood beside the rat cage containing Peter Pettigrew, in the middle of the room to face Tonks. Snape was seated in the far corner on a collapsed armchair, looking at her with a gaze softer than his usual sneering eyes.

"The transformation had stopped," Tonks took a breath and spoke. "I told Sirius to come down immediately if something's wrong. Remus, Professor Lupin will be fine."

"Is it wise to leave Lupin alone up there?" Snape asked from where he sat.

"I've set it so that the orb there will pulse waves of blue light if Remus' injuries become a worry," Alexis explained, gesturing to one of the two orbs floating above them, emanating a faint light that casted a dreary glow over the cold room. "Curious things from the Department of Mysteries," she managed a small smirk.

"B…but this place is haunted. Will Professor Lupin be alright up there alone once Sirius comes down?" Ron asked, looking around with fear in the mixture of emotions in his eyes.

"This place was never haunted," Tonks explained as her cousin and she sat down on the barely stable settee by the window. "Remus told me that the shack had been built because he came to Hogwarts. It was built for his use," she spoke softly. "Every month during the full moon, he would come here to transform. Back then they didn't have the wolfsbane potion. It hadn't been invented yet. So here, he'd ward off the shack with Dumbledore's help and transform. He'd scratch and bite himself out of frustration…and his shrieks were heard by the residents of Hogsmeade. So this became the haunted Shrieking Shack."

"Oh my god," Hermione gasped, covering her mouth, looking like she was about to cry.

"Poor Lupin," Ron spoke.

"You'll be glad to know Harry," Sirius' voice suddenly sounded. "That it was your father's idea to promote the thought that this shack was haunted. He was the creative mind behind all the silly ghost stories of this place," he smiled and walked over to them. Sirius smiled in return to Harry's soft grin and then he turned to Tonks. "He's fine little cuz. He's a bit sore and irritated because he's bloody bleeding everywhere, but he's fine. I tried closing some of the wounds too," he smiled and hugged her tightly. "I left my cloak up there with him to keep him warm. Don't worry," he assured her.

Tonks' arms tightened around Sirius' still boney frame and she took a deep breath, speaking into his shoulder. "Thank you Sirius," she breathed.

"No problem Nymphie," he smiled and patted her back. "He's my best friend too."

"Padfoot, we have the orbs to monitor him but do you think you can go up and check on Remus in your animagus form every hour?" Alexis asked, giving Tonks and Sirius a pat.

He looked up to his other cousin, one who had close resemblance to him, and grinned. "My animagus form has a name. His name is Snuffles, and Snuffles would love to help."

Tonks managed an airy laugh. "Thanks Snuffles," she smiled.

"You're welcome cuz," he hugged her again, briefly and then turned to give Alexis a hug too, apparently just for the heck of it. Then Sirius turned back to look at the three kids and Severus Snape who were watching the little family. "You all must be freezing," he spoke and used his wand to start a small fire under the mantelpiece. Sirius then glanced at Peter and narrowed his eyes at the rat. "I'm awfully tempted to roast him," he mumbled. "So…I guess we're all trapped here until morning," he pulled away from the rat and looked around the room, clasping his hands together with a smile on his face. "We might as well get to know each other."

"Leave me out of this Black. I already know enough," Snape spoke up.

"Which Black are you speaking to Snivelly?" Sirius teased, giving Alexis a playful push.

"Give it a break Padfoot," Tonks sighed and smiled a bit wider.

"You might as well kill me now if I have to spend a night with you," Snape retorted.

"Why so bitter Snivelly?" Sirius teased, grinning at Harry who returned with a grin too.

"People change Black, but apparently not you. You're still as immature as ever I see."

"At least he didn't call you a complete and utter git," Alexis smirked.

"Whose side are you on Lexi?" Sirius turned to her.

"I'm not on anyone's side," she laughed. "Yes Severus is downright dreary, but you're pretty annoying too Padfoot."

Sirius gasped dramatically and gripped his heart, feigning a dramatic cry. That caused Hermione and Ron to laugh and Tonks to laugh out loud at his reaction. Alexis smirked and for a moment, she swore she saw a ghost of a smile on Snape's face.

"I disown you," Sirius teased and stuck his tongue out at Lexi.

"But Paddy, you were disowned before her. How can you do that now?" Tonks grinned.

"Oh bloody hell please don't call me Paddy," Sirius pleaded and Harry laughed.

"It's a rather suitable name for you Black. Makes you sound like a little girl," Snape teased. That definitely surprised his students and former students. Tonks couldn't help but laugh loudly again and Alexis smirked mischievously, finding out exactly which buttons to press with these men. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were having a hard time stifling their laugh as they realized that the dreary old potions master is actually quite human too and can manage a joke.

"I plead you to keep your abnormally large nose out of other people's business Snivelly."

"Oh for Merlin's sake, I know you dislike each other but…" Tonks began.

"Hate," Snape corrected.

"Despise is more like it," Sirius added.

"Tonksie this is going to be a long night," Alexis sighed.

"Right you are Lexi. And stop bloody calling me Tonksie, and you too with the Nymphie," Tonks replied, mock glaring at her two cousins while Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat back, laughing. They were surprised to see that Snape wasn't as cold anymore. Perhaps his impression of Sirius has changed?

Harry couldn't take his eyes off of Sirius, now clearly seeing all the differences between the man in front of him and the man he'd seen in the many wanted posters. Sirius didn't look as mad. And around his family, beside Alexis and Tonks, Sirius looked like a worn and tired man who needed a good night's sleep. Harry continued to look at the man intently, looking at his godfather and slowly developing a feeling of comfort around him. Sirius noticed that Harry was staring at him and turned to the boy. He smiled kindly at Harry who responded back with a genuine and almost shy smile of his own.

* * *

><p>Their footsteps cascaded the soft white snow on the ground. From the night sky, soft snow continued to fall to the ground. Silvia rolled her eyes and pulled her robes tighter around her small frame. She thought she could finally take a break from work after her patrol with Augustus Rookwood. The Unspeakable was bound to secrecy with his work, but any chance he got with silly gossip, he'd spread it with lightning speed. Silvia couldn't stand hearing any more of his <em>news<em>. But after her patrol had finished, she was dragged out again, that time by Moody.

"_Great. At least I don't have to hear pointless gossip anymore. But Mad-Eye tends to grumble…shit._" She brushed the snow off her shoulders as she continued walking. "Why are we out here?" Silvia asked and drew a sharp breath trying to keep up with Moody. He suddenly pulled her down, hiding behind a bush. "What the hell Mad-Eye?"

"Hush," he commanded. "You didn't think I was going to let Nymphadora and Alexis handle a feral werewolf all by themselves did you? Even if it is Lupin," he grunted, pushing aside several branches of the shrub to get a better view of the shack.

"Come on," she sighed and rolled her eyes again. "You said so yourself that we shouldn't underestimate them. Not to mention they're working as a team. They never fail as a team."

"You can't be too careful. Constant vigilance Silvia, always keep constant vigilance."

"Merlin's beard," she sighed. "Wait…is that…is that Severus?" she asked.

They both looked closer, trying to make out what they could see from the large open window on the bottom landing of the shack. Both Silvia and Moody were able to see a tall man, dressed entirely in black with greasy looking hair and a large Roman nose. The man really was Severus Snape. She was sure of it after a moment of looking at him.

"What the bloody hell is Severus doing there?" Moody grunted, his eye spinning madly.

She leaned forward and pushed a few more branches aside. Soon she saw Alexis standing up from beside the window, her pretty face marred with dirt wearing a melancholy expression. "There's Alexis," Silvia nodded. Following behind Alexis were three others, students since they were a tiny bit shorter than the pixie-like Unspeakable. She spotted a boy with flaming red hair wearing a brown knit sweater, a girl with bushy brown hair in a pale pink muggle sweatshirt, and finally she saw a boy with glasses and unruly black hair in a navy blue sweatshirt. "Bloody hell."

"Potter," Moody growled and immediately got up, clonking quickly towards the shack.

"What are they doing?" Silvia asked, following after Moody. "Mad-Eye!" she called after him in a hushed whisper as he was suddenly pushed back by the protection barrier the girls had set up. When his body came in direct contact with the barrier, there was a flash of white light and he fell back to the ground. It must have been something even Moody couldn't counter. "Get back! Tonks might have seen us!" Silvia spoke, pulling him back just as she saw a flash of bright, bubblegum pink approach the window.

"What the bloody hell are Potter and his friends doing?" Moody growled, irritated.

Silvia let out a sigh as Tonks turned back away from the window, sitting on the settee beside Alexis, her back to them. "I guess the rumors were true," Silvia spoke. "Harry really has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"How are Nymphadora and Alexis going to handle a feral werewolf _while_ keeping three kids safe at the same time?" Moody growled. "And still what the hell is Severus doing there?"

"Mad-Eye…Mad-Eye look!" Silvia pointed just as they saw a lanky man appear.

The man had a small, comforting smile on his face. He had raven black hair the same color as Alexis, however his were curled and framing his face with an untrimmed beard. He wore a tattered prison uniform and his chest revealed many tattoos from the infamous cell.

"Black!" Moody growled louder. He was really mad now. "Nymphadora…"

"Wait, sit down will you?" Silvia urged and pulled him back down behind the bush. "Look, he's hugging her," she pointed as Sirius wrapped his arms around Tonks. "They're friendly with each other. And look, he just smiled at Harry."

"Constant vigilance! He's just tricking them! I can't believe Nymphadora and Alexis would allow him to walk about like that, with a wand!" Moody growled as Sirius used his wand to start a fire within the room. "Wait till I get my hands on them."

"There's nothing we can do right now," Silvia groaned. "Alexis and Tonks really outdid themselves with this protection barrier. No one's coming in or out. And look, it seems Black's friendly with them. They're laughing together. Even Snape is talking to them…look, look, look!" she shouted excitedly. "Did you see that ghost of a smile of Severus' face? Maybe we should sit still and see what's going on. Can you hear what they're saying?"

She heard Moody grumble something incoherent and rolled her eyes. "I'll be able to hear what they're saying if you be quiet," he spoke, turning and his mechanical eye making an odd sound as it spun in its socket.

"_This is going to be a bloody long night,_" Silvia thought and groaned inwardly.

* * *

><p>Soft, ember lights cascaded the small and disarrayed living room of the Shrieking Shack. The small fire danced under the chimney, bringing soft warmth that radiated throughout the room. Closest to the fire was Sirius who gave Harry, his godson, a kind smile as the boy finished a story of what had happened to him in his first and second year at Hogwarts. Hermione sat beside Ron and Tonks who were in awe watching Alexis down another bottle of whiskey without stopping. Sirius and Harry soon joined, their eyes holding looks of awe and wonder as well. Severus Snape seemed to have fallen asleep in the collapsed armchair, looking peaceful and less dreary in his sleep. Lexi handed Sirius a half empty bottle of firewhiskey with a wide grin on her face as she sat down beside Tonks, nearly toppling onto her cousin.<p>

"Lexi you're the only person I know who can down two and a half bottles of firewhiskey in one take," Sirius laughed, his laughter sounding much like a bark. "That's my little cousin."

"Didn't you know Padfoot?" Tonks teased. "Drinking's in our blood. Lexi's the best drinker in the entire school when we were still at Hogwarts. Look she's not even drunk now."

"Maybe," Alexis hiccupped. "Or I'm just a real good actress. Who wants to finish this?"

"I do," Harry and Ron announced together.

Sirius shot his godson a questioning glance, narrowing his eyes. Tonks smirked when she saw Harry grin at his godfather and she had a feeling she'd know what Sirius was going to say next. "Fine," Sirius sighed, not putting up much of a fight. "We'll pretend you're old enough."

"Yes," Harry grinned as Lexi handed him the half empty bottle and he shared it with his friends. "Do you want to try some Hermione?" he asked when the girl shot him a look.

"You and Ron don't go much by the rules do you?" Hermione sighed.

"Well you have no room to talk," Ron replied and handed her the bottle after he took a large gulp, making an odd face as the whiskey burned his throat. He smirked when Hermione took the bottle and tried a small sip.

"While you people allow the kids to be exposed to terrible influences like us," Lexi smirked. "I'm going to go to sleep. Good night."

"Is Lexi…really so lazy?" Sirius laughed and pulled a winter cloak over his cousin.

"She's the laziest Unspeakable I've ever met," Tonks sighed.

"You never told us what an Unspeakable is," Harry spoke up. "What do they do?"

"I know what they are," Ron spoke with wide eyes. "My dad told me about them. He said they work for the Department of Mysteries. Their work is very secretive, said to be the most confidential information of the Ministry. He said most Unspeakables aren't very talkative people. Some are just downright dreary like him," he spoke, gesturing to Snape as the others laughed.

"But Lexi doesn't seem like she'd be an Unspeakable," Hermione spoke. "She's too…"

"Too sociable?" Tonks laughed. "Yeah it seems odd, but she actually knows when to keep her mouth shut. My cousin's very complicated. And you've never seen her at work. She has a lot of respect from the other Unspeakables. A bit odd if you ask me. It's as if they're all afraid of her, like she's their supervisor or something."

"That's Lexi for you," Sirius smiled. "What about you Tonks? How's being an auror?"

"My job's more fun," Tonks smirked. "I get to hunt down dark wizards."

"Weren't you trained under Alastor Moody?" Hermione asked. "I've read about him, how he's one of the best aurors there is and he only ever accepted one student. That's you."

"Blimey Hermione," Tonks smiled. "You're a brilliant witch," she complemented as Hermione smiled shyly. "Yeah the old codger trained me. Paranoid he is, always screaming _constant vigilance_ in our faces. We all get heart attacks thanks to him. But Mad-Eye's a good mentor. Taught me everything I know and even helped me out pretty often too."

"I want to become an auror," Harry smiled. "Aurors catch dark wizards, right?"

"It might be a bit early for you to think about your future career choice already kiddo," Sirius laughed. "But being an auror is a good job. That's what I wanted to be too, and your dad."

"Don't think it's all fun and games," Tonks warned them. "Most of the time you're stuck in an office cubicle, writing reports until your hands fall off."

"Aren't aurors supposed to oppose werewolves?" Ron suddenly asked.

"Yes, but only if they're feral and dangerous. Professor Lupin is not feral, or dangerous. In fact, a reckless auror like me is more dangerous than he is," Tonks smiled.

"Sirius how did you and my dad discover Professor Lupin's secret?" Harry wondered.

"I admit, it was mostly your father," Sirius explained. "He was the first one who noticed that Remus always looked ill and we kind of felt bad for him. Remus was real nice you know, he'd help us with our homework and he'd catch us causing mischief all the time, but he never told on us. So we liked him. Your father felt bad when Remus kept sitting alone and seemed too shy to talk to anybody. So we hung out with him and soon he began to open up. Remus is just like any other man, it just takes him a while to trust someone," Sirius smirked and winked to Tonks. "Hanging out with him, we soon pieced it together that he's a werewolf, so we helped him out," Sirius grinned. "Turns out that Moony was a real Marauder after all. He may seem shy and friendly, but his secret Marauder side still exists. In fact, he came up with some of the most brilliant plans and we never got caught. And Prongs and I made sure to instill a sense of dark humor in Moony," Sirius grinned proudly, turning to Tonks again.

"And Tonks how did you and Lexi know about Professor Lupin's secret?" Harry asked.

"Yes Tonks," Sirius grinned. "Lexi never told me how you knew."

"It was that night during the Full Moon Festival," Tonks explained, turning to Hermione and Ron. "When the Weasleys dared me to go into the Shrieking Shack. I walked in after Remus sealed all the wards, and I was trapped there until sunrise. I saw him transform and everything. To be honest, at first I was terrified, had no idea what was going on. But spending the night with him, turned out he was still nice and kind as a werewolf," Tonks smiled towards the end.

"Seems like _someone_ fancies my dear old friend Moony," Sirius smirked.

Tonks chose to ignore his comment, even when Harry, Ron, and Hermione too were smirking at her. "Think whatever you want," she commented, morphing away her blush.

"Sirius," Hermione began. "How are you related to Tonks and Lexi exactly? They helped you right away when they caught you correct? Wouldn't it harm your jobs?" she asked Tonks.

"Lexi and I knew perfectly well that we could lose our jobs for helping Sirius," Tonks replied in an uncharacteristically serious voice. "We knew that if we somehow messed up, not only will we lose our jobs, but we might end up joining him in Azkaban too."

"So why'd you do it?" Sirius asked softly for even he didn't know why they helped him.

"Because you're our cousin Padfoot," Tonks replied simply and Sirius smiled.

"Cousins?" Harry asked. "I thought you were brother and sisters or something. You seemed…seemed closer than cousins. My cousin Dudley, he'd never do anything for me."

"We all have something wrong with our family Harry," Sirius smiled. He then turned to Tonks and looked down at a soundly asleep Alexis. "You may not get along too well with your pig of a cousin, but to me, my cousins are all I have."

"Our family is rather…messed up," Tonks explained to the kids who had bemused looks. "As you know, we're from the Black family, Lexi and Sirius more than me. My aunt is Bellatrix Lestrange and she tortured my mother, her own sister for marrying a muggle, my dad. So, sisters are out of the picture. And Bellatrix Lestrange killed Lexi's parents. Lexi's father was my mum's favorite brother. He was a bit…loony but brilliant. It destroyed her when her own sister killed her brother," Tonks spoke as Hermione gasped and covered her mouth. "And Sirius…"

"My mother hated me," Sirius spoke conversationally. "My father, I never really knew him. He died before I really got around to getting to know him. My brother Regulus, we grew apart after he came to Hogwarts. I'd say Remus is closer a brother to me than my own brother. Our family is obsessed with blood purity, and that caused them to be so deranged. I think Ron here might have heard how the Black family is one of the biggest supporters of Voldemort."

"Yeah, my dad told me about them," Ron nodded. "But you aren't like them."

"Guess we're all black sheep of the Black family," Sirius smirked. "Speaking of black sheep, when can I see Andromeda again?"

"I don't know but my guess is most likely after your trial," Tonks replied.

"And Harry," Sirius smiled. "You know…if you'd like…since I'm your godfather you could…well maybe you could come stay with me now and again if you wanted a different home," he suggested rather shyly and softly.

"You mean I can come and live with you?" Harry asked eager with a smile on his face.

Sirius nodded. "If you ever wanted a different home you could…"

"That's brilliant! I'd come with you in a heartbeat!" he grinned.

"But after things settle down first," Sirius smiled and he turned to look at Tonks who has a smile on her face as well. "Right after the trial, I think I'll still have to stay with my cousins for a while. It'd be unfair to ask them to let me freeload already."

"We don't mind," Tonks spoke up. "The more the merrier. Besides, you may not know this, but Lexi and I get paid pretty well with our jobs. My vault is empty, but Lexi's filthy stinkin' rich," she grinned. "We can afford to have two more family members living with us."

"Now you can finally get away from your aunt and uncle, Harry," Hermione smiled.

"Yeah," Harry nodded happily. "Tonks do you think I can come live…"

"No more questions, you're welcome whenever," Tonks smiled.

"What about Lexi?" Harry asked, gesturing to the sleeping girl beside Tonks and Sirius.

"She wouldn't mind either, as long as you don't go into her office," Tonks smiled. "There are things in her office that could be lethal if you don't know what you're doing," she warned in a dramatic whisper, smirking when she saw the curious glint in Harry's eyes.

"You know he'd be tempted to probe," Sirius spoke and pushed her playfully. "Harry's just like his father. You do know that?" he asked the boy. "You look just like James but…"

"I've got my mother's eyes," Harry smiled. "Professor Lupin told me."

"Figures, sentimental Moony," Sirius scoffed. "But with all honesty Tonks, don't tempt him into doing something that could hurt him. Who knows what an Unspeakable would have in her office. If I lose my godson I'm going to come to you and demand another one," Sirius spoke.

"How will I give you another godson?" Tonks retorted as Harry, Ron, and Hermione laughed together, watching the two cousins tease each other.

"Oh I don't know maybe you and Moony can create metamorphmagi werewolf babies and make me the godfather," Sirius teased innocently. "And Harry can be the god brother."

"Sirius I am going to kill you," Tonks growled at him, her cheeks blushing mad.

Sirius laughed, his laughter sounding more like a bark of amusement as he broke out into fits of humorous hysteria. Harry leaned back, laughing softly as he watched the lanky man laugh freely. It must be doing Sirius some good, having more and more reasons to laugh and smile after escaping from a place as terrible as Azkaban.

* * *

><p>Her eyes opened to stare at a dark and empty ceiling with little light showing through. Tonks turned and rolled over to her side, groaning softly. She must have fallen asleep a little while ago. Slowly she pushed herself up, looking around in the now dark room. The fire had gone out, but luckily the heating charm was still active around them. Everyone else had fallen asleep it seemed, Hermione with her head on Ron's shoulder while the red haired boy slept with his mouth hanging ajar. Harry was curled up in a corner beside Sirius. Snape was still as a statue in the collapsed armchair, and Alexis was still in the same position, sound asleep. Tonks yawned and looked outside. The moon was still high against the dark horizon, casting a silvery glow over the land and into the shack.<p>

"_No one's probably checked on Remus yet_." It was the first thought that registered in her still foggy, still sleepy mind.

Tonks stretched slightly as she pushed herself up onto her feet, being careful to take slow and cautious steps out of the living room and up the stairs to the second landing. The old shack was creaking and squeaking under her feet and every step she took made her sleepy mind dizzy as she felt like the shack was swaying side to side. No matter, she still made it up to the second landing safely and quietly. Tonks stopped short in front of the foggy white barrier that separated Remus' area from theirs. She didn't know exactly how well Alexis warded off the place, but Tonks was sure that even as a human, she could at least take a look at Remus and not stir him to growl or try to attack her.

Only faintly could she see through the foggy, wispy veil that was the barrier. Inside she could see the figure of Remus' wolf, lying on his stomach with his muzzle rested on his front legs. His eyes were open however. She could faintly see the golden amber eyes that had replaced those gentle and soft blue ones of his. Wanting a better look, Tonks moved a little closer. She stumbled as she shifted over and her hand briefly glided into the barrier, causing ripples to pulse through it. Tonks quickly pulled her hand back. The barrier felt like a wall of water on her hand and though her hand wasn't wet, it felt as if she'd just pulled her hand out of water.

She held her breath when Remus' head suddenly quirked up. His eyes met hers, even through the veil. Wild amber met soulful dark eyes and the feeling that surged through Tonks' body was very similar to the same one she'd feel whenever her eyes met Remus' blue ones. The werewolf was still Remus after all. Tonks was frozen in her spot, watching as the supposedly feral wolf slowly, tiredly got up on all fours and walked over to her. He took slow but wide steps and in no time, his face was merely a foot away from hers, a wispy veil in between them.

He had a long, jagged cut across his face, still red and visible through all the fur. On his large werewolf body she could see more wounds, perhaps his old scars that he caused himself, ones that refused to close. They all looked deep and painful and as he moved, he seemed careful not to touch them and cause himself pain. It was as if even the werewolf part of Remus was tired and worn, done with the painful lifestyle of a feral. This werewolf seemed controlled, even though it wasn't under the influence of wolfsbane. Looking at him, Tonks wondered if the pain and sufferings of the man were reflecting upon the wolf, and the wolf too seemed tired and in need of some care and tenderness. She held her breath, watching and waiting.

"Wotcher Remus," she spoke softly, unsure of what to do or what to say. She didn't even know if he could see her. It could just be a coincidence.

Tonks swore she saw his ear move a slight bit as his eyes widen when he heard her voice. She sat frozen where she was, looking at him. Remus' nose twitched. He looked like he was sniffing her. Tonks wondered what she smelled like to him. She sat still, the palm of her hand barely grazing the foggy barrier that separated them.

* * *

><p>Silence…that was all he heard. He heard nothing, saw nothing, and smelled nothing for so long. The werewolf part of Remus, though without the control of wolfsbane, still seemed no different from the other moons with wolfsbane. He was bored, lying there, unable to fall asleep with the many pains running through his body. There were deep gashes on his body and one particularly deep one on his face that still stung, but he'd forced himself to ignore it. His eyes rested lazily on the broken and claw filled wall across from him, waiting for the morning sun to rise so that the man could take over again. The werewolf grew tired of the lifestyle. It didn't want to fight for control or dominance with the man over his body anymore. It simply just wanted to rest, or find a warm place to cuddle up to. After all, it was only an animal. Animals have feelings too. Though those feelings and thoughts are much simpler than humans, they still exist.<p>

The noise came to his ears like a sudden strike of thunder. He grew so used to the silence that when he heard the noise of someone shifting softly, his head suddenly perked up. His eyes looked around quickly and fell on the wispy veil like wall just a bit outside of the doorway. He could see a figure on the other side, but he couldn't recognize what exactly the figure looked like. So he slowly got up on his all fours and walked over, taking slow, cautious steps in case he was attacked. The wolf came to the veil, his amber eyes falling upon the face of a girl.

Immediately he recognized the pink hair, and the pale, heart shaped face of the girl. He knew her. Or at least, the man knew her. The werewolf didn't move for a moment. He stood and watched her. She looked at him with soft, trusting eyes. He recognized those eyes too, at least the man would. He remembered the man had fallen in love with those eyes. The werewolf leaned in a little closer, feeling entranced by the mysterious dark green eyes of the girl with pink hair. She seemed harmless. She didn't want to harm him. And the unspoken law of nature said that if she doesn't hurt him, he wouldn't hurt her. The werewolf lowered his body and sat. His muzzle was very close to her. He sniffed her closely.

With one long sniff, he immediately recognized her scent. Her aroma was that of lavender and chamomile with a little bit of violet, a sweet, soothing scent that made his eyes sleepy. He felt like he could let his guard down with her, which he did. He rested his body, his head still perked up to face her. Another sniff and he smelled the scent of new parchment and fresh ink, a very familiar and cozy scent. His nose traveled to where her lips were and he could faintly smell butterbeer, a sweet, sugary scent. All those scents combined to be _her_ scent, the scent of the woman that the werewolf knew the man fell in love with. She was the woman the man loved. The werewolf made sure not to hurt her, respecting the man, for even the wolf was quite fond of her. He could never forget the past two moons, when he fought for dominance over the man, an internal battle, and he came across her. The first time, she hugged him tight and made the wolf back down from the fight for dominance. Her arms around him made him feel warm and the wolf was content with letting the man have control, just as long as he was around this woman. The second time was during the Blood Moon, the Hunter Moon, when the man was weaker. The wolf fought for dominance again and almost won, but during that fight he exposed himself to a hunter and nearly got hurt. The woman, this woman, the one with pink hair and clairvoyant green eyes, helped him. He wouldn't forget that night, how for the first time in his life, he willingly allowed the man control and gave up the fight for dominance. He was content, as long as he was around the girl, and that night the girl curled up asleep in his arms.

"Wotcher Remus," he heard her say in her familiar and soothing voice.

His ears perked up. She was calling the man, but the wolf remembered that it was his name too. He saw that she held her hand up to him, resting her palm on the veil. The veil was transparent to her but it was solid to him. He turned his head to the side, his eyes still on hers however, and he rested his head on the veil that was like a solid wall to him. He could feel her, her warmth on him and he snuggled closer to the solid veil. He felt warm. His ears perked up again when he heard the woman laugh. He's heard that laugh before. The wolf's eyes softened and he closed it, finally able to rest. This woman, he knew this woman. The man called her _Nymphadora_. The man loves this woman. Even the wolf admitted he was fond of this woman. As he drifted off to sleep in the warmth that radiated off the woman, he wondered if the next time that they meet, the wolf would be able to call her _mate_.

* * *

><p>Morning lights escaped through the cracks and windows of the Shrieking Shack, casting a golden glow across the room and its residents. It was sunrise, or maybe a little bit after and Alexis had just woken up from a very uncomfortable position on the floor. She turned and rolled over, her neck aching from sleeping wrong. She cringed and yawned, opening her eyes slowly to adjust to the morning light.<p>

"Finally someone's awake," she heard a soft voice speak. "I was so bored. Who would have thought it'd be the lazy Unspeakable who's up first," he scoffed.

Alexis sat up and had to take a second glance at her lanky Azkaban escapee cousin. It wasn't everyday you wake up in the middle of the Shrieking Shack, accompanied by an Azkaban escapee, she turned, the boy who lived, a brilliant witch, a Weasley, oh and Severus Snape. And Alexis nearly forgot about her metamorphmagus cousin and the werewolf on the landing above. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and sat up, drawing her legs up to her chest and yawning again, shaking her head and adjusting to her rather odd morning and life.

"Morning Padfoot," she spoke through another yawn. "Up so early?"

He crawled over to her. "I think it's because of Azkaban that I can get up early. Never could have a good night's sleep in there. I'm hoping I could get one when we go home."

"We'll be home soon. Why didn't you wake us up if the sun rose already?"

"Well just look at them," he smiled, gesturing his head to the three kids lying close together, asleep on the ground. "They look so peaceful sleeping. And I didn't want to wake Snivellus up, I prefer him asleep too, less dreary you know," he smirked, gesturing to Severus Snape who laid asleep on the collapsed armchair with its stuffing falling out.

"What about Tonksie?"

"Do I look like I have a death wish? Never wake a sleeping auror, even if she is your cousin," Sirius scoffed. "By the way, I don't see Tonks anywhere."

She turned and looked around, spotting no traces of the reckless auror on that landing. "Maybe she's awake already and went to check on Remus. It's a bit past sunrise, he should have transformed back by now," she yawned and pushed herself up.

"Come on let's go check on the lovebirds," Sirius grinned as he helped Alexis to her feet.

The two cousins slowly made their way up the stairs onto the second landing, expecting two very awake shape-shifters waiting for them. However, when they got up there, the sight they saw was a slight bit different. Alexis and Sirius exchanged two very similar smirks, both darkly handsome/beautiful smirks. They looked down and saw Remus who was now in his human form, lying asleep with his head on Tonks' lap, his body snuggled up against her legs. Tonks was sitting with her back resting on the wall while her hands were holding onto Remus, one on his face and the other holding his hand. The two shape-shifters laid right on the dividing line where Alexis remembered she'd set the barrier for last night.

"Look at them," Sirius smiled. "Too bad they won't ever admit their feelings for each other," he sighed and shook his head.

"We shouldn't wake them. Savor the moment you know," Alexis replied.

"Or we could save this moment, and show it to them while we scream 'told you so' in their faces when they're married and happy together," Sirius suggested with a wistful sigh.

"What do you mean cuz?" she asked, looking up and smirking at the mischief in his eyes.

"Well," Sirius began with a mischievous smirk on his face as he took out his wand. "Let cousin Padfoot show you how a real Marauder works," he told her. "_Accio camera_," he spoke and waved his wand once.

"You know it won't work," she told him _as-a-matter-of-factly_. "None of us has a camera and you can't just summon one from somewhere in Hogsmeade…" she stopped short when a small, old-fashioned muggle camera suddenly flew towards them from down stairs and landed in Sirius' hand. "Oh my god it worked. How the bloody hell did you do that?" she asked him quickly, sounding like an excited and curious teenager.

"That brilliant Marauder right there," Sirius grinned and pointed to a sleeping Remus who laid beside Tonks with a large winter cloak covering his frail body. "Taught this brilliant Marauder here, how to use the summoning charm in a greater way. I've been keeping myself amused summoning random things from Hogsmeade while you, Nymphie, and Moony were busy at Hogwarts," Sirius explained. "Moony's brilliant. I'm going to enjoy this," he laughed as he held the camera up to his eyes and snapped a picture. A brilliant flash snapped once, but Tonks and Remus were unfazed, still fast asleep, cuddled against each other.

"Maybe we should take a second one, just in case," Lexi smirked and took the camera from Sirius, snapping another photograph. She then opened the camera and took the film out, waving it in Sirius' face once and shoving it into her pocket. "Remind me to get it processed once we're done and out of this mess cuz."

"No problem, as long as you join me in the song and dance when Moony and Tonks gets together," Sirius replied. "Now what do you think we should do? Give them a final push?"

"That wouldn't work. It'd be unnatural if we help them out in their relationship. Since they're practically each other's already, we'll just let them work it out themselves," Alexis told him, crossing her arms as she looked down at her sleeping cousin and friend.

"It's going to take a long, long time cuz, knowing Moony," Sirius sighed.

"I know Tonks. She'll give it a right hard kick in the arse. Now let's go wake the others," Alexis smirked and pulled Sirius away, handing him the camera as they left the sleeping couple be. They took careful and quiet steps down to the landing below and saw that the kids and Severus Snape were just beginning to wake up. Sirius took a deep breath and walked over to the open window, watching as the morning sun rose higher into the sky. He glanced over at Alexis who had picked up Peter's rat cage, the rat still inside and scurrying around like mad. His little cousin was taunting the rat and Sirius couldn't help but smirk. He drew another deep breath, waiting for his freedom to come.

* * *

><p>I was trying to add an author's note up there ^^^ but somehow it didn't work for me. My laptop and fanfiction thing is getting glitchy. Anyways, I completely forgot what I initially wanted to say for the Author's Note. So I just want to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting. Thank you! And just a warning I might be slow to update the next chapter because I'm trying to work something out with the plotline. Thanks ^_^<p> 


	20. All the Evidence We Need

**Chapter 20 – All the Evidence We Need**

The expression on Mad-Eye Moody's face was cold and threatening, especially with his mechanical eye sinisterly revolving inside its faux socket. Tonks knew how to read Mad-Eye more than anyone, and looking at the way his human eye glared at them while his face was contorted into a look mixed between shock and disappointment, Tonks knew that at that moment in time, it wasn't a good idea to upset him any further. Her old mentor was glaring at them, mostly at her lanky cousin who in the eyes of the uninformed public, still remained an escaped and dangerous convicted murderer.

Beside Mad-Eye she saw Silvia with a look of surprise and bemusement on her face. Her expression wasn't as intimidating as Moody's however, thankfully. Tonks took a breath, preparing herself for the scolding from Moody. Her cousin Alexis stood beside her, wide awake and very aware of the situation they were in. Soon the kids caught on and Harry discreetly moved so that he stood in front of Sirius, in between his godfather and the intimidating auror. Even Snape remained quiet, anticipating what Moody's first words would be.

"Black! What the bloody hell is going on?" Moody roared in his low, gruff voice that made Hermione gasp and Ron jump slightly.

"Alright, Alexis, Tonks, why are Harry and his friends and Severus with you?" Silvia asked, looking at the group as a whole. "And why is Sirius Black standing beside you?"

"With no precautions whatsoever!" Moody interrupted her. "Nymphadora what did I teach you about constant vigilance? And here you are with a criminal!" he shouted.

"Alastor I know this looks questionable but you've got to calm down," Remus spoke softly from beside Tonks. Watching her mentor seethe with anger, Tonks had almost forgotten that she was still the one supporting most of Remus' weight after his full moon transformation. "Sirius is innocent and here we've got all the evidence to prove it."

"Innocent? You are still letting a convicted criminal walk free!" Moody argued. "Nymphadora I taught you better than this! Constant vigilance at all times!" Moody growled.

It was during that moment that Tonks managed to suppress her need to correct him about her name, even if he said it twice. For once, she felt that some situations could not be interrupted with her preference of names. Tonks took a deep breath. "Mad-Eye just listen to us, please. I know we shouldn't be letting Sirius walk around freely like this but what can we do? Tie him up? In case you haven't noticed, if we tied him up it'd be harder to get back to the castle," she spoke, gesturing to the children and an injured Remus. "And we really do have all the evidence we need to prove him innocent."

As if on cue, Alexis held up the unbreakable rat cage she transfigured from her leather bracelet morphed from morphing material. "This rat is an animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew. He's been living with the Weasley family for twelve years, hiding," she explained. "If you look closely, you'll see that he's missing a finger, just like Pettigrew would."

"It's true!" Ron spoke up from beside Harry and Hermione. "Sirius _is_ innocent. I've seen Scabbers be revealed as Peter Pettigrew last night!"

"And Peter Pettigrew was the one who betrayed my parents," Harry spoke immediately, hushing up Silvia and Moody who were about to speak. "Pettigrew was their secret keeper, not Sirius. He sold them out to Voldemort and he framed Sirius. He also killed those muggles!"

"Also, it was Pettigrew who poisoned Professor Lupin by lacing Professor Snape's wolfsbane potion with access amount of aconite, the wolfsbane plant, which is poisonous to werewolves," Hermione added instantly afterwards.

And Tonks thought that after the trio had spoke, the instantaneity would have stopped, but Snape surprised her when he spoke up as well, right after Hermione, leaving again no room for Mad-Eye and Silvia to cut in. "I have checked and it's completely reasonable to believe that it was indeed Pettigrew who tampered with my potion for Lupin," he said in a low and dry voice.

"So you two rule benders have been sneaking around, helping Black instead of looking to capture him like you were supposed to?" Moody asked and Tonks wanted to scream at him. How could he be worried about rules at that point in time?

"Mad-Eye, we're helping an innocent man!" Tonks argued. "He really is innocent and if we hadn't helped him and captured him like we were supposed to, the Ministry would never give him a chance to prove his innocence and he'll only be chucked back into Azkaban!"

"Besides, if you recall correctly, Sirius Black never got a proper trial when he was sentenced to life in prison," Alexis added, speaking very closely to a tone Tonks recognized as her Unspeakable tone she used at work. "It's only fair that we help him now. And Tonks is right, once caught, that oaf of a Minister would never give Sirius a proper trial without pre-existing evidence slapping him in the face."

"Alastor," Silvia suddenly spoke up in a softer voice. Tonks then noticed that Sirius and Silvia had been quiet the whole time, looking at each other as memories shot back to them. Tonks remembered that once Silvia had told her she and Sirius knew each other in school and that they even dated. She wondered what could be going on through Sirius and Silvia's mind at that particular moment while they were staring at each other, and Tonks wondered just how deep their _fleeting school romance_ had been. "Perhaps Alexis and Tonks were right in bending the rules this time," she sighed. "Sirius…Black never got a proper trial and knowing Fudge, he wouldn't bother with one without pre-existing evidence."

"Alastor please," Remus spoke up, his voice showing his weariness as Tonks could feel him muster up as much dignity as he possibly could at the time, removing some of his weight on her. "Sirius really is innocent and we've got all the evidence we need to prove it. We found Peter Pettigrew and that alone is enough to question the judgment of the case and have it reopened. And…we also have a new testimony from Severus," he spoke, turning to Snape.

Moody's eyes pried themselves away from Sirius and turned to Snape as the potions master spoke. "It is indeed true," Snape replied. "I have agreed to give them my testimony, about what I knew during the time of Peter Pettigrew's betrayal."

"Sir please," Harry spoke up, turning his eyes away from his godfather whose thoughts seemed to be distracted by something else other than his freedom. "Sirius is innocent."

"Mad-Eye," Tonks and Alexis sighed at the same time.

"Alright will you all hush up now?" Moody snapped quickly before any one of them could continue their constant song. "Fine, if you're one hundred percent certain that you've got sufficient evidence of Black's innocence then we will take this up to Albus Dumbledore and inform Fudge. But I don't want him to be seen walking around Hogsmeade freely," he grunted, pointing to Sirius as both his eyes, human and mechanical, stopped to look at the lanky man.

Tonks and the others managed a smile and Tonks swore that she even saw the ghost of one, fleetingly on Snape's face. "Thanks Mad-Eye," she grinned and looked up at Remus. His blue eyes met hers and she felt her heart do a flip. She missed those eyes, despite having a similar feeling around his feral amber ones. Tonks smiled at him and he smiled back, both soft and genuine smiles on two tired faces that could really use some proper sleep on a proper bed.

"We could get Sirius to come with us in his animagus form," Hermione suggested.

"What's your animagus form Black?" Moody asked roughly.

"A dog," Sirius replied and glared at Snape when he heard a snicker form him.

"Dogs are very loyal animals and it is said that a person's animagus represents what they are on the inside," Silvia suddenly spoke up as she turned from Sirius to the rat that was Pettigrew, jumping around in a panic in the unbreakable cage Alexis was holding. "If Sirius is a dog and Peter Pettigrew's animagus is a rat…how come we didn't consider this factor before?"

"Because Sirius never got a proper trial," Alexis grumbled as they began walking again.

Sirius then transformed into his animagus form of a large black dog that resembled the Grim, trotting happily beside his godson Harry Potter and auror Silvia White. Tonks knew that Sirius was happy, happy that he soon would get his complete freedom and innocence back, and she knew that there was possibly another reason why he was happy. Judging by the way they were both utterly distracted during the heated conversation, Tonks knew that there had to be some depth in Sirius and Silvia's _fleeting school romance._

* * *

><p>His body was aching, his wounds were burning, and there was this throbbing pain in the back of his head. Remus woke up slowly, remembering that though the pains of last night's transformation had become a dull pain, the aching post-moon of that morning hadn't numbed itself out. He rubbed his eyes and got up slowly, meeting a worried looking Sirius Black pace back and forth at the side of his bed, mumbling to himself about something. Auror Silvia White was responsible for keeping an eye on him, and she sat there quietly, watching them.<p>

"Professor Lupin," Hermione's voice came to his mind first.

"Remus you're awake," Sirius smiled as he bent down and helped Remus settle onto his pillow at the head of the hospital bed.

"Wait, what happened? How long was I out for?" Remus asked with his voice hoarse.

"Just about an hour," Harry spoke, glancing back from the clock.

"Have they come to a decision yet?" Remus asked immediately. "Has Nymphadora and Alexis come out?" he continued but silenced when he glanced up at the large window that showed into the private office of Poppy Pomfrey where the small meeting was taking place in order to reach a decision on what was to be done about Sirius' case.

"No, they haven't even come out yet, once, not even for a break." Ron replied this time.

Like everyone else, Remus heaved a sigh and sat back. All they could do was to wait. For them, it was out of their hands now. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together on the empty hospital bed beside Remus, their eyes glued to the large glass window that only showed the people in there, walking back and forth, seeming to be arguing, but expelled no sounds. Sirius sat down beside Silvia. Silvia was turned to the side, looking into the window, trying to explain to them what could be going on in there, as only she would understand what they could be saying. Sirius was trying to help, but after being absent from twelve years, he couldn't read any of his cousin's body language as well as Silvia could. Remus pushed himself to the side, looking into the window as well, watching them.

Tonks was leaned against Poppy's tall bookshelf filled with medical records. Her arms were crossed and her hair had turned to deep, velvet black matching Alexis and Sirius'. She looked so much like her maternal aunt Bellatrix Lestrange that even Remus had to take a second look. Tonks' arms were crossed and the expression on her face showed annoyance. Obviously the situation in the room wasn't favorable towards Sirius. Beside Tonks stood Alexis, her eyes distant, lost in thought as her index finger instinctively stroked the side of her cheek. Her face showed no exact emotions and she looked like she was apart from them. Mad-Eye Moody stood beside Alexis and so was Kingsley, all watching the Minister Cornelius Fudge as he strutted through the room, throwing his hands in the air as if angered by something. Albus Dumbledore stood with his back to them beside Severus Snape who was still as a statue.

"Uh…Auror White," Sirius spoke uncertainly. "What do you suppose is going on?"

"I…I don't know," Silvia replied quite softly to the man. She didn't have the skeptical looks in her eyes similar to the ones Sirius had seen from Moody, or the tired look from Kingsley, or the look of fear from Fudge. No, Silvia had a softer look, as if she was simply meeting an old friend she hadn't seen for a while, and was having trouble talking normally with him as things would flow.

"Well…can you perhaps try to tell us what they're doing?" Sirius asked again, softer.

Silvia nodded and swallowed, looking at him with a bit more confidence now. "Judging from Tonks' expression, things obviously aren't going well, but it's not that bad seeing as her hair is black, not red. If it's red then things are very bad, but it's black and I'm sorry I don't know what all her hair colors mean."

"Black means that she's worried," Remus found himself speaking up.

"Wow Moony, thanks," Sirius managed a small smile and laugh, winking at his friend.

Silvia smiled slightly as well. "And Alexis, she seemed to be trying to think of a way out. That's a tell-tale sign that she's thinking when she strokes her cheekbone."

"Yes, Lexi's habit," Sirius sighed with a ghost of a smile. "She's just like her father," he spoke in a sadder tone, remembering his deceased cousin. "He does the same thing."

"They're speaking now. I'd say Tonks and Alexis have just thought of something."

"Auror White you really know your colleagues well," Sirius smiled in a low voice.

"They're not just colleagues. They're my friends." She managed a full smile that time.

Remus managed a smile as well. He watched as his best friend was beginning to return to his life as it was again, talking, socializing with others, as if he was never wrongfully trapped in a dismal asylum like prison called Azkaban for twelve years of his life.

He turned back to the window, watching as Tonks stood in front of Fudge, arguing with him about something with a determined look in her eyes. He watched her point a finger at Fudge, speaking with the man through clenched teeth as her hair turned from black to red. Remus sighed. He wished Tonks wouldn't be so rash. Yes she wanted to help her cousin, but Remus was personally afraid that she could lose her job acting that way in front of the Minister for Magic. Tonks was too wonderful of a woman and Remus knew she loves her job as an auror. He hoped she wouldn't lose it because of this.

"What's going on now?" Remus heard Sirius ask Silvia in a worried voice.

"I think…" Silvia began, standing up. "Oh my god, I think they're yelling at Fudge."

"What?" Sirius spoke, about to run up to the window but Remus held him back. "Moony let go! They're going to lose their jobs."

"Padfoot I think your cousins know what they are doing," he sighed, looking at the determination raging in Tonks' eyes, her lucid and clairvoyant green eyes that had always been so gentle and kind. "I think you should trust them."

"They're going to lose their jobs! I can't let them do that because of me."

"Sirius," Harry spoke up, walking up to his godfather. "Please sit down. No one here wants to see you go back to Azkaban."

"They don't have a reason to anyways," Hermione spoke. "You're innocent."

"It was Scabbers who did it," Ron added, still referring to Peter as Scabbers.

"But Cornelius Fudge don't care about that," Silvia spoke up in a more professional tone.

"Professor White, what do you mean?" Harry asked, bemused.

The auror glanced back at the window once, seeing that everyone in there was distracted with the argument at hand and the rat that was running around in his unbreakable cage that Mad-Eye Moody was holding. She took a breath and turned back to Sirius, Remus, and the three students with an unreadable look on her face.

"Cornelius Fudge is…well as Tonks would say…an attention whore. He cares too much about his public image. What do you think this would do if the Ministry suddenly announced that they've wrongfully put an innocent man in prison for twelve years? It would badly affect Fudge's image, and he wouldn't want that." She pointed at the man in the other room. "He's doing all he can in there to tell them that they're all being tricked by you. He wants to send you back to Azkaban more than anything and silence this whole matter."

"But he can't do that. The law wouldn't allow him to…" Hermione spoke.

"He's the Minister," Remus sighed, realizing where Silvia was going at. "He probably has very strong influence over most of the Ministry."

"He does have very strong influence over most of the Ministry," Silvia nodded sadly.

"So not only will my cousins lose their jobs for arguing with him, I'll still go back to Azkaban and all our efforts will be wasted?" Sirius asked, nearly growling.

"Wait, look," Remus spoke when he saw Tonks and the Minister glaring at each other.

"What's going on?" Ron mumbled as he, Harry, and Hermione got closer to watch.

"I think they've pushed the final button…" Silvia spoke in a soft, low voice.

Tonks' hair was flaming red while her dark green eyes burned with strong determination. Alexis stood to the side with her arms crossed now, a dark and almost intimidating look in her eyes that was so much like the Black family aristocratic hauteur Remus often saw in Sirius. Cornelius Fudge's face was turning beat red as he glared at Tonks and Alexis, seething with anger it seemed. Silvia was right. Those two girls must have pulled the last straw on him. Remus took a deep breath, truly worried now. He was afraid that not only would Nymphadora and Alexis lose their jobs, Sirius would be sent back to Azkaban anyways.

* * *

><p>Her arms were crossed, her face was contorted into an expression of anger, and her hair had turned black. Normally Tonks would hate it when her hair turned black for she looked so much like Bellatrix Lestrange and she would quickly change back, but at that moment in time, she didn't care. She was more worried about her cousin, worried that he'd be unreasonably and wrongfully sent back to Azkaban a second time.<p>

Looking at Cornelius Fudge as he strutted through the room, coming up with silly reasons on why Sirius Black is dangerous, Tonks was about to explode. She was glaring bullets at him. She turned slightly to see Alexis' face. She seemed deep in thought, but a closer look revealed that Alexis too was glaring bullets at the man with a colder gaze through her nearly black eyes. Tonks wished looks could kill at that moment because with Fudge under both Tonks and Alexis' glare, he would die immediately.

"And besides," Fudge continued. "Prison records show us that Sirius Black had shown signs of improper and dangerous behaviors in prison, beating up and harassing the guards several times. It just shows that he is still a danger to society." He spoke and threw his arms in the air.

That was it. Tonks huffed and pushed herself off the bookshelf where she had been leaning on before. "He was in prison for Merlin's sake!" she told him. "Why don't you try being wrongfully locked up and have to face those bloody dementors all day? You'd go mad too!"

"Nymphadora Tonks, you do not speak to me this way!" Fudge snapped.

"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora!" she shrieked at him.

"Tonks!" Moody grunted, setting the rat cage down on the shelf as he pulled her back.

"Look there," Tonks spoke and pointed to Pettigrew. "There's Peter Pettigrew in the flesh. We've already shown you that the rat is an animagus. We've already confirmed that it's Pettigrew. And even Severus Snape agrees to bring forth a new testimony in this case. It'd be completely unreasonable if you don't reopen it," she growled.

"Ah, Miss Tonks did bring up two very good points Cornelius," Albus Dumbledore spoke up. "There's Peter Pettigrew, and Severus' testimony. They're both very valid evidence if you ask me," the headmaster added easily.

"I am the Minister and what I say goes," Fudge spoke through clenched teeth. "Black will not be given a retrial and that is final."

Tonks was about to speak when suddenly, Kingsley spoke up before her. "Sirius Black never got a trial to begin with Minister," the tall, broad shouldered black wizard spoke in his deep and reassuring voice. "When he was captured him, you briefly looked through his files and ordered immediate imprisonment to Azkaban."

"Keyword there being briefly," Tonks grumbled.

"Nymphadora," Moody growled and glared at her, warning her to behave. "You're making a big mistake here Minister," he then turned and spoke to Fudge. "Nymphadora and Alexis both have brought forth very valid evidence and it would be unjust to simply ignore them and send Sirius Black back to Azkaban."

"He is a Black," Fudge retorted.

Tonks suddenly though he'd just made a very grave mistake. She saw Alexis calmly push herself off the bookshelf and walked over to the Minister. Her cousin was so calm that even Tonks was a bit scared. The look in Alexis' eyes was cold and dark, threatening, intimidating. Fudge took a step back, looking at the young woman from the infamous Nobel and Ancient House of Black right in her eyes.

"_Oh if only looks could kill,_" Tonks thought to herself.

"If I recall correctly Minister," Lexi spoke in a very cold and chillingly smooth voice. "I'm a Black too. And by tenuous relations, so is my cousin Tonks. Are you saying that we belong in Azkaban as well?"

"Do not play with my words Alexis," Fudge replied and that was the first time Tonks ever heard the Minister for Magic call her cousin by her first name.

"Oh but I'm not," Lexi smirked and there was something about that aristocratic hauteur of hers, something about that smirk of hers that sent a chill down the Minister's back. "You said it yourself because Sirius Black is…a Black. Isn't that right Tonks?"

Tonks stepped up and glared at the Minister. "You're making a mistake Fudge."

"This country does not need an unstable wizard out and about in the public where he is capable of hurting others," Fudge snapped.

"This country does not need a Minister who does not know right from wrong, is a complete attention whore, a right foul git, and an unjust, useless, and stupid, complete and utter douche bag!" Tonks screamed at him while her hair quickly morphed to a fiery red color.

"Nymphadora!" Mad-Eye and Kingsley both growled, worried for her.

"Nymphadora Tonks you are putting your job on the line!" Fudge retorted.

"Actually Minister you have no reason to fire her. See, she has the right to say what she thinks and feels about you, because she is a citizen of this country," Alexis replied _as-a-matter-of-factly_, her arms crossed and a wicked smirk dancing across her face.

"Your job is at risk too Alexis Black," Fudge retorted, his face growing redder.

"I believe not, _sir_," Lexi replied and Tonks recognized that smirk.

Having known her cousin as well as she had, Tonks would recognize that smirk on Alexis' face almost instantly. That was Lexi's rebellious smirk, basically her way of saying _what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it_ when she got in trouble. That smirk was giving Tonks the idea that her brilliant cousin had thought of something, something that will save their jobs and save Sirius from returning to the mental asylum of a prison called Azkaban as well.

"I hope you haven't forgotten so easily, _Minister_," Alexis spoke, drawing out his title in a sneer, much like the way Snape drew out Tonks' name just to mess with her. "I am an Unspeakable working in the Department of Mysteries. The Department of Mysteries isn't controlled by the Minister. Rather it's controlled by the Wizengamot and to fire an Unspeakable would be a very daunting process."

"I am the Minister."

"Being the Minister for Magic doesn't give you control over everything, sir," Tonks added, now very closely resembling Lexi's rebellious smirk as well. "And besides, we have present very valid evidence that could no doubt prove the innocence of Sirius Black. This case is tried by the Wizengamot as well, not just you."

"It will not be reopened! The Sirius Black murder case has been closed and dealt with years ago! We will not dig up the files and retry the case just because of two reckless and suspicious women from lower departments in the Ministry!"

"Here that Tonks?" Lexi smirked.

"Of course Lexi. Which one do you think I am?"

"I'd say you're the reckless one," Lexi replied.

"Yeah me too. Merlin we sound so much like the twins," Tonks laughed.

"That's what happens when we tease them so much," Lexi smirked.

Watching her cousin smirk, Tonks again could read that smirk deeper than anyone else could. Lexi had an idea. And being proven from past experiences with the very rebellious and yet brilliant Unspeakable, Tonks was willing to bet her life that Lexi's spark of inspiration could really help them. She went along with her cousin and felt more confidence against Fudge. Maybe even through all this she could still keep the job she loves, and keep her cousins, both of them, safe, out of prison, and very much alive.

"Minister," Mad-Eye suddenly spoke up in a low, rough voice. "It would be a very bad decision to simply close the case without any good reasons."

"So you're saying that my reasons are bad, aren't you Alastor?"

"Frankly, yes," Moody replied and Tonks wanted to hug her old mentor.

The color in Fudge's face turned to a deeper red as he snapped his eyes back to glare at Alexis and Tonks who stood in front of him. Tonks held a finger up to him, pointing at him. "Unless you can come up with one good reason why a completely innocent man is not allowed a proper trial to win back his freedom…"

"He is a danger to society!" Fudge retorted.

"You are a danger to society if you keep this up!" Tonks snapped. She's had it with the man. "You are unreasonable and a complete and utter idiot!"

"Tonks," Lexi spoke from beside Tonks as the voice of reason. "Calm down."

"I will have your jobs for this."

"Try," Tonks growled at him.

"Actually Minister, what do you think would happen if you suddenly fire us without any valid reasons?" Alexis asked. "Because if I recall correctly, Tonks and I have done nothing wrong," she smirked. "And this case is under jurisdiction of the Wizengamot as well, not just you," she reminded the man in an icy voice.

"Wait until the public hears about this, how the Minister for Magic declined giving an innocent man a proper trial and instead wrongfully send him back to Azkaban. It wouldn't do too well for your public image, _Minister_," Tonks spoke, suddenly remembering that Fudge valued his public image more than anything. She smirked a smirk very similar to Sirius' and Alexis' when she saw that Fudge's face turned to a deep, crimson red, his lips pressed firmly together as he tried to hold himself back from exploding at her.

Lexi smirked at Tonks and turned back to Fudge. "The Daily Prophet, no matter how much influence you have over them, won't hesitate to actively publish such a wonderful story now would they?" she told him in an almost sickly smooth voice.

After that, Tonks knew what the one thing she had to add was. "And what if Rita Skeeter hears about this? She wouldn't pass up such a juicy story," Tonks added and she could see Mad-Eye and Kingsley rolling their eyes and sighing off to the side. That was the final straw.

Cornelius Fudge turned to a deep shade of red that Tonks didn't even think she could imitate even if she was a metamorphmagus. He looked like he could die out of anger soon. His fists were balled together, his knuckles white. His lips were pressed so firmly together they came off as a thin red line. He was speechless, and Tonks was waiting for what he was going to say. She knew the Rita Skeeter line probably did her some good, judging by how concerned Fudge was with his public image and Rita Skeeter could ruin him in one article.

"Alright," Fudge replied, finally giving up. "He will be given a trial."

"Thank you," Tonks replied cheerfully with too much glee.

"But heed my words," he warned bitterly. "The Wizengamot will look into this thoroughly and then once they make a decision, you will be convinced that Black has been tricking you the entire time," Fudge spoke through clenched teeth.

"Which Black are you referring to Minister?" Alexis teased with a dark smirk.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe if we are done here, we should come out and tell the others what the decision will be," Dumbledore spoke up calmly, warmly, and smiled at the girls. "Cornelius, I'll see you out," he smiled as he led Fudge out of the room.

Tonks could see Sirius and Silvia immediately stand up from the bed, along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Remus was still lying down, but his head snapped up once the door opened. Tonks had nearly forgotten that they could see the entire argument go down through the large window from Poppy Pomfrey's office. She sighed and was relieved when Fudge and Dumbledore left through the large doors of the hospital wing.

"Should we go and tell them the good news?" Tonks asked.

"I don't think it's that good of news, but we should still tell them," Alexis replied.

When they walked out the door, almost instantly they were surrounded by Sirius and the three children, asking what had happened while they were in the office. Tonks waited until Snape, Kingsley and Moody left as well, Moody carrying Peter Pettigrew in his unbreakable rat cage as he clonked away. Out of all people, Tonks felt comfortable entrusting her paranoid old mentor with that traitor.

"Mad-Eye, where are you taking him?" Tonks asked, wanting to know for sure.

"To the holding cell in the auror department," he grunted. "Don't worry, Kingsley's coming with me. This traitor won't escape. And Silvia, you stay here to watch over them."

"Tonks, Alexis, what you two did in there…" Kingsley began.

"Was stupid and reckless, we know," Tonks cut him off.

"No," he suddenly told them. "Was brilliant. Using what Fudge fears most to push him into agreeing with you," Kingsley grinned. "Yes it was reckless and stupid as well, but brilliant on top of that. Good luck," the tall black wizard smiled at them and patted both girls' shoulder. "Remus, feel better and take care. You three kids stay out of trouble…and Sirius Black, good luck," Kingsley smiled and nodded to Sirius before heading off.

Tonks grinned and morphed her hair color back to pink as she bounced over and sat down beside Remus' bed, smiling at him. He smiled softly at her, his eyes lingering on her looks and features as they were enhanced by the brilliance of the golden sun. To him, she seemed to be glowing. He couldn't stop smiling like a fool, and little did he know Tonks felt exactly the same.

"Lexi, Tonks, what happened in there?" Sirius asked.

"Well, Tonks just threatened the Minister for Magic," Lexi smirked.

"Are you crazy?" Sirius suddenly spoke and it was that moment that Remus finally saw the father…err motherly side of Sirius he'd grown to rather miss. The first time he saw this Sirius Black was many, many years ago when Sirius was showing off his cousins' baby pictures in school, Alexis first and then Nymphadora. "You could've lost your job! Unless you two have lost them already! You can't do that because of me! You love your jobs! Both of you!"

"Hey Tonks, is it me or is Sirius a lot like your mother when he scolds us," Lexi joked.

"Alexis Black this is no time to be joking around! I don't mind going back to Azkaban as long as you know that I'm innocent and that I never betrayed my friends or murder anyone, but you two can't lose your jobs because of me!"

Tonks laughed and that made Sirius hush up. "Relax Sirius, we're fine. We have our jobs still and we finally got Fudge to agree to give you a proper trial. We've got all the evidence we need. You're going to win this and get your freedom back," she smiled and in her eyes, Remus could still see determination, but a softer one with great assurance.

"Really?" Sirius, along with all others in the room asked with bright grins on their faces. Remus and Tonks noticed that even Silvia had the same reaction.

"Yes really," Tonks nodded. "Now Lexi, what do you think he meant during the last part when he mentioned the Wizengamot?" Tonks turned and asked her cousin.

"It means Fudge will use all his power and influence in the Wizengamot to make sure this case not only stays confidential, but goes his way as well," Alexis replied, crossing her arms.

"What? But he can't do that!" Hermione spoke up while Silvia sighed.

"He's the Minister," Silvia sighed and looked at Sirius with friendly, worried eyes.

"That's totally unreasonable," Hermione spoke again.

"He can't do that. It's not fair and Sirius really is innocent," Harry added.

"They have Scabbers, what are they going to do with him? Why do they still want Sirius?" Ron asked, joining in with his friends.

"It's not them, it's him," Tonks told the kids. "Fudge is worried that his public image will be tainted if the public found out the Ministry kept an innocent man locked up for twelve years with no proper trial."

"Isn't there anymore we can do to help him?" Remus asked.

Tonks turned to him and she hadn't realized that she'd taken a gentle hold of his hand. He tightened his grip around her small hand for reassurance. "We could work to be his lawyers."

"Hey, what's everyone worrying about?" Alexis asked in a calm voice. "Tonks, I hope you weren't just bluffing when you said wait until Rita Skeeter hears about this," Lexi smirked.

Out of everyone there, Tonks seemed to be the one who understood Lexi the most as she smirked as well. "Don't tell me…"

"I'm willing to get you in contact with Rita Skeeter, that is if Sirius doesn't mind a little publicity," she shrugged and smirked again.

"Hey, I'm already infamous with the whole Wizarding world," Sirius shrugged.

"And besides," Alexis added, crossing her arms and smirking again but that time, they all saw more of the Black family aristocratic hauteur in her than any time before. "Just because Fudge has influences over the Wizengamot, doesn't mean he's the only one. I work in the Department of Mysteries and the Wizengamot is the direct control of my department."

"Don't tell me you have connections to Wizengamot members."

"A few," Lexi shrugged. "But I know one we can talk to that will really help."

"God Lexi, you're brilliant!" Tonks grinned.

"Lexi, can you really do that?" Harry asked, grinning as well.

"It's not going to be risky or anything right?" Hermione added.

"Of course not," Alexis smirked. "And I think it's perfectly alright to do a little rule bending for the sake of something that is right," she smiled and nodded to Sirius.

"And there're no one who can bend the rules better than my two cousins," Sirius smiled, expressing his confidence and faith in both his cousins.

Tonks sighed and turned back to Remus. She didn't have to say anything for him to know that she was relieved and happy. Remus watched her, seeing that she was still glowing, and now with her bright grin she was even brighter in his eyes. Her bubblegum pink hair was brilliant and just the image of her made him smile. Remus could see the faith and confidence Sirius and his cousins had in each other. He wanted to feel the same one day, knowing that there would be somebody there to have your back during turbulent times. Somehow, looking in Nymphadora's clairvoyant green eyes, Remus found himself getting lost, and he slowly began to think that one day may be possible, even for him. Little did he know, Tonks felt exactly the same way.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

My computer's being a git, it wouldn't let me put my Author's Note on the top anymore -_-

Anyways, thank you everyone for reading and reviewing and favoriting and alerting! So I'm debating about having Peter Pettigrew escape again or not because as you see, his escape played a crucial part in the story of Harry Potter, and I plan on continuing with another story following "Life Like This" in the same ficverse. Well I don't know, what do you guys think, should Peter Pettigrew be free?

And one more thing, sorry it's been on my mind for a while. So I'm re-reading all my Harry Potter books again and I've been wondering if there's a difference between the American version and like the British version and such, because I see the word soccer in there often (The Sorcerer's Stone) and I'm pretty sure that only us people in America refer to the sport as soccer while everyone else just calls it football.

Anyways, sorry for the long Author's Note and my endless questions and wonders. Thanks for reading! ^_^


	21. Withering and Damaged Souls

**Chapter 21 – Withering and Damaged Souls**

The cold night echoed with a deafening silence. Tonks was desperate for something to happen, something, anything at all. Sirius and Alexis were called down by Moody and hadn't returned, leaving Remus and Tonks alone together in the D.A.D.A. classroom. Remus sat behind his desk, quietly grading papers. She would catch him looking at her several times, watching her with wan but gentle eyes. He'd recovered quickly from the brutal moon several days ago. Tonks swore she saw a trace of genuine happiness in his eyes. She didn't allow herself to think he was purposely stealing glances at her however. What interest could the kind and gentle bookworm professor take in the colorful and reckless auror?

Little did she know that they were so much alike as the kind and gentle bookworm professor would catch her subtle glances at him and wonder the same thing. And while laboring under the delusion that they are not worthy, the though never crossed their minds that maybe, just maybe the professor and the auror were a match.

As the minutes continued to tick by, the silence was becoming a thunderous roar to both of them. Tonks had been helping Remus putting his many books back on the wooden bookshelves. Completing the task, she felt she just had to say something to break the silence.

"How was your day?" They both ended up asking together in perfect harmony, the professor and the auror. The sounds of their voices melded together fittingly, perfectly.

"I…I've had a very good day," Tonks replied with slight awkwardness as she snapped her eyes back to the bookshelf, her heart pounding in her chest, racing like a marathon as she willed her bubblegum pink hair to not change color and felt uncomfortable under her own clothes, a yellow Weird Sisters tee and heavily patched jeans.

"I'm…glad then. I've had a very good day too," Remus replied just as shyly, just as awkwardly as he lowered his head closer to a report he had to grade, Tonks' report. His heart was drumming up a storm, beating way too fast to be healthy and he was nervous under his own shabby tan jumper and trousers. He had to will his reaction away when he went to look through her report and saw that she'd doodled hearts around the edges and border. "So…what are your plans now, Dora?"

She paused momentarily, holding a book in her hand as she mentally repeated the way he said _Dora_ in her mind. She liked it. "I don't really know," Tonks replied airily. "We still have Sirius' trial to go. And after that, I suppose we help Sirius recover those twelve lost years."

He nodded even though he was sure she couldn't see him. Remus then stole another glance at her, looking at her back while seeing her lovely pale, heart-shaped face in his mind, framed by soft and vibrant pink hair. "You're a wonderful woman Dora," said Remus, a thought he only meant to think about.

When she smiled, Remus too lit up with delight. For a moment, Remus allowed himself to actually think he was worthy of her, that him being who he was had been good enough for her. After all, even though he was a man with a withering and damaged soul, he was still capable of caring for her. Even though he wasn't young and whole, he once had been. And no one remains young and whole forever, it's just a way of life. Though his soul was damaged and withering after a lifetime cursed by the moon, it had once, many long years ago, been as innocent and full of life as anybody. Remus Lupin deserved happiness too. And for only one brief, fleeting moment, the thought of happiness was allowed.

"Remus, are you in there?" Tonks asked him.

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at her, a wolfish grin that she found so beautiful. "Sorry Nymphadora," he spoke. "I've been getting lost in my thoughts way too often."

"Call me Dora," she corrected him, but in a way much different from before. Her voice was softer and there was a smile. The yelling and changing of hair had gone too.

"Dora," he smiled. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. She liked the way it sounded to her ears.

"Remus, Lexi and I are planning on having Sirius stay with us once everything is over. You should come over often then. Sirius would be happy seeing you around. And I don't want to lose touch with a wonderful friend."

"Thank you Dora," he smiled again. "Here, let me help you with those." He got up quickly, his limbs aching as he walked over to her side to help her lift and put away a pile of books he knew perfectly well she was able to handle by herself.

"What are your plans after this is over?" she asked him, placing a book back in the shelf.

Tonks could see his gentle blue eyes flickering to her from the side though he never turned his head to face her. Tonks wondered if she was making him feel uncomfortable. She had noticed that Remus had been acting slightly different around her. In the eyes of others, they wouldn't notice. But Tonks did.

"I don't quite know," Remus sighed softly. "Live life as it is?" he replied. "If I lose this job as a professor, I'll have to go find another one. I've gotten used to it. I've saved up enough money now to rent my own flat for several months. And I have friends now." That time he turned to her and smiled genuinely, softly, kindly, affectionately. "Sirius is back, Alexis is very kind…and Dora…you're just amazing," he spoke, growing softer towards the end. Again Remus had voiced something he only meant to keep as a thought.

"You don't seem too confident in keeping this job. Don't you like it?"

"No, of course I like it," he smiled. "I love it actually."

"So why do you always think you'll lose it?"

"Because of what I am," he replied sadly. "You've seen how troublesome I am."

"Remus, I know what you are…"

"An incapable werewolf?" he spoke, his tone sadder and softer.

"No," Tonks replied as she took his hand and held it comfortingly in hers. "You're wonderful, kind, funny, calm and collective, brilliant, loyal, and you're the most amazing bloke there is," she smiled. It sounded like flattery, but Tonks always thought that it's not flattery if it is true, and everything she said was true. She had more to list, but now wasn't the time to list.

"Dora…"

"Don't even try to argue Remus," she smiled, tightening her hold on his hand.

It took her slightly by surprise when Tonks felt Remus' hand tighten around hers and at first she thought it had simply been an illusion. The moment of close contact was fleeting however, as Remus had pulled back before Tonks' heart and mind could fully register the feeling of having him hold her hand. Tonks wanted to yell at herself. She'd kissed him before, on the cheek, never the lips, but she'd come closer to him than hand to hand contact. So why was her heart pounding and dancing like a foolish jester inside her chest?

Remus had muster up all the courage he had to pull back from her. For one fleeting second he'd let it all go and tightened his hand around hers. Looking into her bemused dark green eyes, he wondered if he did the right thing. He had been weak for a second and allowed a small window for his feelings for her to surface. Remus knew he couldn't love Tonks. He could never have her and he wasn't going to fall deeper into a romance he knew could only reach halfway. So with all his strength, he pulled back from her.

"Thank you Tonks," Remus spoke, careful to use her much preferred title. "You're always there to encourage me. I don't know what I'd do after you leave once this is over."

Usually she preferred _Tonks_, but somehow, at that moment she wished he'd called her _Dora_ instead and even _Nymphadora_ would have been bearable. It wasn't a lie to say it was a beautiful name, Tonks just felt it wasn't her and that's why she didn't like it. "I'll still see you, you know," she told him. "And besides Remus, in case you've forgotten, I promised you I'd be right there helping you every morning after a full moon. You won't get rid of me that easily."

He showed her a soft laugh, a bitter and scarred laugh. "You don't have to promise, Tonks. It's hard to keep a promise, and I'm not worthy," he told her.

"You're being silly. I'm going to prove to you. I'll be right there helping you every morning after the full moon, I promise," she told him in a more determined voice. Looking at him, she saw that trace of the broken man, scarred and worn by the wolf inside. Looking at him, she saw the withering and damaged soul, and Tonks wanted to do anything to heal it back up.

"Thank you, Dora," he smiled wanly. Remus didn't have much hope on that promise, but there was a small part of him, a part he didn't acknowledge, that believed Tonks would somehow keep that promise, because she was Nymphadora Tonks.

* * *

><p>Like every time they were alone together they would fall into a gentle spell. They were laughing and smiling at endless conversations to no end. Remus had never felt more comfortable before than with Tonks. And Tonks' grin was plastered on her face for so long that the action of smiling began to cause her cheeks to ache. They talked about pointless stuff, the cold weather, the many reports, and the pranks they pulled in school. They talked about sensitive things, Remus' occasional need for some reassurance, Tonks' occasional need for some stability, and both their need for some understanding and care. They seem to share a common ground somehow, reaching the midway point in the middle of the Earth when at a glimpse they seem to be complete opposites.<p>

"You still never answered my question on why you doodled tons of little hearts around the border of your report," Remus smiled, holding up a report of hers in his hand.

Tonks had a little smirk on her face that made Remus smile brighter as she shrugged. "I never said I'd answer you," she replied. "Besides, I was just feeling happy."

"So why didn't you draw smiley faces?" he continued to probe, curious as to why the colorful auror decided to go with black and white hearts.

"Maybe because I like hearts more," she replied back, sticking her tongue out at him.

Remus laughed, a hearty and full laugh. Though there was still always a trace of sadness in the deep depths of his eyes and soul, Tonks was glad at least the happiness was reaching further in and seemed more real. Whenever he had his wolfish lopsided grin on, she knew he was genuinely happy, and there it was right there.

She parted her lips and was about to say something when the classroom door suddenly opened, hushing her up as both her and Remus' grins began to fade into a ghost of a smile. They were turned towards the door, watching as Sirius came in with Silvia right behind them, their expressions looking tired and bored, like whatever they had done before had nearly bored them to death. Tonks tilted her head to the side, wondering where Alexis was. She'd gone out along with Sirius, but now only Sirius returned and Silvia seemed to be her replacement.

"What did Mad-Eye want to discuss about with you Padfoot?" Tonks asked.

"Nothing important really, he pulled Lexi apart and talked to her most of the time but often he'd randomly call me over and so I ended up staying there for so long," Sirius scoffed. "And that paranoid coot of a mentor of yours is troubling Silvia here with looking after me. Do I honestly need to be looked after?"

Silvia stifled a laugh as she turned away and gave Tonks a wide smile on her pretty face. "Mad-Eye's always been like that. If he didn't, Tonks and I would start to wonder if he really was Mad-Eye Moody," she told them.

"The old codger still didn't have to treat me like I'm a bloody three year-old," he pouted.

"Tonks I think it runs in the family. Only people related to you aren't afraid of Mad-Eye at all," Silvia smiled and Tonks couldn't explain why she suddenly let out a laugh, gripping Remus' shoulder as he chuckled as well.

"Think of it this way Padfoot," Remus told his friend. "At least he set you with Silvia and not Rookwood or Bode," he teased and Tonks' laughter grew.

"By the way Padfoot, where's the other Black?" Tonks asked, raising an eyebrow when she noticed Sirius was smirking for some odd reason. "Something wrong?"

"Oh no," Sirius shook his head and glanced at Silvia then chuckled. "And Moody asked Lexi to follow him somewhere. I don't really know, they were being really secretive. Silvia, do you have any idea?"

"Somewhat," Silvia replied, nodding her head side to side. "Mad-Eye told us the Ministry decided to place Sirius' case on top priority so his trial is in one week. Mad-Eye thought that during that one week, we'd need time to get ready and to help stable Sirius' mental state…"

"Stable my mental state? What the bloody hell's the old codger thinking?" Sirius scoffed.

"Padfoot let her finish," Remus sighed with a small smirk on his lips.

"He…well…it's a surprise," Silvia told them. "For Sirius, and you too Tonks."

"For me too?" Tonks asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Does that crazy auror think I need my mentality stabled as well?" she questioned, seriously beginning to wonder that.

"It's not like that," Silvia smiled and was about to explain more when they heard a knock.

"I'm guessing that's the surprise," Remus smiled. "It's open come in."

Sirius and Tonks turned to glance at each other for a moment. Tonks then turned to see Remus smiling softly to her and they all turned to face the door as it opened slowly, as if whoever outside was being extra cautious for a reason Tonks couldn't quite understand. Then they saw the unforgettable smirk of Alexis Black as the raven haired witch ducked her head inside, not opening the door the full way. There was something a bit off about Alexis' smirk however. Tonks was the first one to notice that her cousin seemed to be concealing a message within her smirk, a message she'd seen before.

"What's the surprise Lexi?" Sirius questioned.

Lexi let out a single small laugh as she swallowed, her actions telling them to _be-prepared_. "Tonks and Sirius step out in the front. Silvia, Remus, I suggest you get out of the line of fire," she warned them.

Then Tonks' eyes widened. The smirk on Alexis' face was identical to that one time when Tonks was hiding out from her mother and then…

"Let me through Alexis," Tonks heard it, the unmistakable voice, and then Alexis was pulled out the door as the wooden door flew open, revealing Andromeda Tonks, a tall and lean woman bearing a softer and kinder face of the patrician beauty of the Noble House of Black. She had dark green eyes, soft brown hair and was shockingly similar to her sister Bellatrix, though friendlier and still sane. Her lips were pressed into a thin firm line, her face expressionless as she looked at the people in the room. Two were her family.

"Merlin," Tonks breathed, preparing herself for she knew her mother way too well.

"Andromeda…" Sirius spoke, unable to find his voice for a moment.

Suddenly, there were so many questions unanswered. Tonks wanted to know where her father was. It was odd seeing her mother so far away from home without her father beside her. And Tonks wondered if they'd told Andromeda everything from beginning to end of what exactly had happened. She also wondered how her mother would react upon seeing Sirius again. And the final thing Tonks wondered was which type of greeting Andromeda would give them, a soft and gentle one, or a raging screaming one. Somehow, she had a feeling it was the latter.

"Sirius Orion Black!" Andromeda spoke loudly in her stern voice she always used on Tonks and even Alexis. "You foolish, reckless, noble, idiot!" Her voice began to break as she rushed across the room in one graceful motion Tonks would never be able to mimic, and pulled Sirius into her arms, hugging him tightly in a bear hug as she hid her face in his boney shoulder.

"I missed you too Andy," Sirius sighed, hugging her just as tightly. Andromeda had been raised directly by the Black family and rarely ever showed this side of her, this side she considered her weaker side. Though she didn't sob tears of joy, just being able to see face to face with his favorite cousin again had been enough. It was so enough that even someone like him, a man with a withering and damaged soul from twelve years wrongfully in prison, could smile.

"Don't call me Andy you git," she told him, her broken voice muffled.

Sirius smiled. He'd almost forgotten she hated being called _Andy_ even more than Tonks hated being called _Nymphadora_. "Sorry." Then came his apologies. In his entire family, he always saw Andromeda Tonks née Black as an older sister. His relationship with her was like Tonks' relationship with Alexis: cousins but closer than siblings. "Andromeda I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was so reckless. I'm sorry I gave up after they caught me. I'm sorry for making you believe that you're the only one left all these years."

"Don't be a fool Sirius. I never blamed you. I was only sad thinking I'd lost you to them, but now you're back, you're here and you're safe," Andromeda told him and slowly pulled away. She had forgotten that they were in a room full of people for a moment, and quickly regained her status. "Alastor Moody owled me earlier and requested my presence here. Ted would've come, but he was on a business trip to Italy. When I came, Alexis and Alastor told me everything." She cracked a teary smile that Tonks only remembered seeing once or twice. "Welcome back."

The room was quiet. Tonks watched as her mother continued looking at Sirius, taking in his every feature and how much he changed. She had a ghost of a smile on her face and soon her eyes finally pried themselves away from Sirius. She smiled politely and acknowledged all the others in the room, her Black family aristocratic hauteur lacking to Alexis' however.

"I'm sorry for running in like that," Andromeda apologized. "It's just…"

"We understand Andromeda," Sirius smiled and turned to Lexi, giving her a quiet 'thank you' concealed within a wink and smirk of his that she would understand.

"Sorry, I'm Andromeda Tonks, Nymphadora's mother."

Tonks then knew she had two options. Since Andromeda was over with the emotional reunion, knowing her mother, now came the punishment and further nagging. She could scream at her mother not to call her by that name, or swallow the desire to do so and hopefully sink back into the background just like Alexis was attempting to do, hoping that Andromeda was distracted by the others in the room and wouldn't yell at them. Tonks went with the latter.

"Remus Lupin, nice to meet you," Remus smiled politely, mustering as much energy as he can to make himself seem less weary like he'd just recovered from a brutal full moon. When Remus shook hands with Andromeda, for a fleeting moment his eyes met with hers and what he saw shouldn't have been a surprise to him. Andromeda's eyes and Tonks' eyes were identical, a deep, dark, lucid and clairvoyant green that spoke so much with no words at all. Nymphadora Tonks has her mother's eyes, Remus noted.

"Pleasure," Andromeda smiled. "I remember you. You're that quiet boy who always hangs around Sirius. Glad he still has one friend left."

After Remus came Silvia. The beautiful brunette woman simply smiled and said hello to Andromeda, having met the woman before being well acquainted with Tonks. "Evening Andromeda," she smiled pleasantly.

"I didn't expect there to be such a crowd. I thought it was only the two girls and Sirius."

Deciding to cease the chance, Tonks nudged Lexi discreetly, having snuck over to her cousin now. They both understood each other easily since they've gotten in trouble during school and with Andromeda so many times, they knew the cue. Tonks and Alexis were attempting to quietly slip out the door, unnoticed while Andromeda was busy talking with Silvia about something. Remus' eyes flickered to Tonks with amusement and she flashed him a very brilliant and childish grin. His eyes lit up, causing her heart to pound as well. And with her pounding heart, that caused her to mess up. Tonks' foot got caught on a chair and she suddenly fell back into a pile of parchment, chair, and Tonks.

"Nymphadora I haven't forgotten about you," Andromeda spoke sternly.

Tonks rolled her eyes and groaned. Alexis gave up the subtlety and ran for the door, but her run was stopped short by Andromeda's commanding voice. "Alexis Black, get back here!"

"Being away for so long, I forgot how scary Andromeda is." Tonks heard Sirius whisper.

"Mum we only skipped out on Christmas dinner because we were helping Sirius," Tonks began explaining quickly.

"And if we weren't there Peter Pettigrew would have escaped," Alexis added quickly.

"Stand up, will you Nymphadora?" Andromeda spoke, looking down at her daughter.

Tonks got up with both Remus' and Sirius' help, smiling gratefully to the kind man with gentle blue eyes while she scowled at her lanky cousin who had a smug little smirk on his face. It was probably amusing to him to hear Andromeda yell again, especially not at him.

"Mum I'm so sorry," Tonks continued to plea. "We're both really sorry."

"We didn't mean to miss it. We didn't forget, trust us," Alexis added.

Both girls turned to scowl at Sirius and Silvia who couldn't contain their laughter and small bits of hysteria came out in the forms of giggles and chuckles. It must have been a pretty amusing sight to see Nymphadora Tonks so controlled and scared and to see Alexis Black actually worried for once. Even Remus had a lopsided grin on his face and he couldn't even contain a chuckle. Tonks inwardly rolled her eyes and wanted to just fade away.

The next thing Andromeda did took them both by surprise. She suddenly hugged them, both girls, in a hug just as tight as Sirius. Tonks and Alexis turned to look at each other with bemused gazes. Where was the screaming, the yelling they had been bracing themselves for?

"Did you know how worried your father and I were?" Andromeda spoke. "And Alexis! I told you to remind yourself and Nymphadora to write me often! You're the older one. Nymphadora, you get yourself into so much trouble," she spoke quickly, worried for them. "You two disappear for months without showing up and you barely write. With your dangerous jobs, we couldn't help but worry. You two are so reckless."

"Mum…I'm sorry," Tonks spoke weakly, hugging her mother back.

"Sorry Andromeda," Alexis spoke as well though her arms were pinned at her side.

After a few moments, they finally pulled apart, got past the greetings and questions of how life had been, and settled themselves down on the many chairs that lined the classroom, sitting close to each other and talking. Tonks was rocking back and forth in her chair beside Remus with her mother right next to her giving her looks of warning for doing something so childish. Sirius sat across from her right between Alexis and Silvia who were both listening aptly to the seemingly endless conversation going on.

"Why do you think Mad-Eye called my mum here though?" Tonks asked the crowd.

"He needed to follow auror protocol and question me about Sirius since we're related after all and other than you two, I'm the only family he's got left. The others are dead, lost, or in Azkaban," Andromeda replied, placing a firm hand on Tonks' shoulder so she'd stop rocking.

Remus chuckled softly and Tonks shot him a faux death glare as he smiled at her.

"Mad-Eye was real good with this one. I just thought he wanted to be a nice person and have Sirius meet Andromeda to keep him sane," Alexis spoke _as-a-matter-of-factly_.

"It's Mad-Eye, there's always an ulterior motive to that paranoid old codger," Tonks sighed, knowing her mentor just as well as she knew Alexis and her mother.

"Well I don't care since he's helping me," Sirius voiced.

"Sirius, when is your trial?" Andromeda asked.

"In exactly one week, that's what Silvia told me," Sirius told her.

"We'll win this case. You're innocent." That was a statement, not a question.

* * *

><p>At the end of the night, after everyone had left, again Tonks and Remus were left alone, sitting in the now empty D.A.D.A. classroom. Alexis had turned in early, typical of the bumbling Unspeakable. Andromeda and Sirius had retreated back to a room Minerva McGonagall showed them to on the third floor hallway as well where they will be staying for the time being. Silvia had returned to her sleeping area, and that left only Remus and Tonks. They sat together in comfortable silence for a while, Remus reading a very long textbook while Tonks sorted through his reports for him and rocked back and forth on her chair.<p>

"Remus, sorry we intruded on your rest today. My mum stayed a little longer…"

"It's fine really," Remus cut her off before she could finish. He smiled. "I enjoyed being included in the conversation. I never knew your entire family is so alike."

Tonks smiled and rolled her eyes. "Everyone says that."

"No, I don't mean the Black family, I meant just you," he replied and she suddenly felt happy. He didn't link them to the other insane people of the Black family, and she was glad. Tonks could still remember when they first met and he did that. They'd definitely come a long way since then. "Sirius, Andromeda, you, and Alexis, are all a family of your own. And you're so much alike," he told her.

"Well Lexi and I did grow up with my parents and Sirius as our role model."

"You're mother is a great role model. Though I don't know about Sirius."

Tonks laughed, pushing him playfully for making fun of her cousin. "I never thought I'd say this but you're pretty mean to Sirius."

Remus smiled as well, pushing her playfully back though much, much lighter. "I only said one thing and it wasn't even a direct insult."

"Oh and I wonder how much meaner you could get with direct insults."

"I am not mean," he laughed with her, feeling so much younger, so less burdened.

"Yes Remus, yes you are. You are a mean Marauder," she continued teasing.

"Actually I was the nicest Marauder. All the girls in our year always said I'm the nicest bloke in the whole group," he grinned, setting his book down as he turned his body to face her.

"And all the girls in your year must be completely mental," she replied, sticking her tongue out at him as she continued rocking back and forth on her chair.

"They are not…well not all of them," he laughed. "You're going to fall Nymphadora."

"I'm only clumsy on my feet, not on chairs Remus," she retorted.

Tonks grinned at him and purposely rocked harder. Remus was laughing as well. The chair suddenly tipped and Tonks' eyes widened with surprise as she fell forward, landing on Remus and tipping his chair over as well with both their weight combined. Remus had his arms open to catch her, as if anticipating that something like that would happen to the clumsy and reckless auror. He took the beating of the fall as his back hit the ground flat, knocking the wind out of him for one moment. Tonks landed on top of him, her body pressed against his and they were in the exact same position they were from that night Rookwood nearly caught them in the dungeon. They were so close that Tonks could feel his soft breath graze her lips.

She opened her mouth and was about to apologize for him, apologize for knocking him over and knocking the wind out of him. But when Tonks' lips parted, no words came out. Remus' lips were parted slightly as well. He looked back at her with an unreadable expression in his gentle clairvoyant blue eyes. His arms were still around her waist while her body was pressed against his. They were lying on the ground, meeting eye to eye and their lips were mere inches apart. Tonks could feel her heartbeat soaring.

Remus' mind was screaming at him to get away, scolding him that it wasn't right. He was too old for her, too poor, and too dangerous. Those were his excuses. He wasn't worthy of her, that's what he thought. He couldn't allow another moment of weakness to come to him when he actually thought that the shabby werewolf professor would have a lasting romance with a colorful, full of life auror. He was a man with a withering and damaged soul after years under the curse of lycanthropy. She was a young woman with still so much to live for. Remus couldn't bear to hold her down.

But at that moment in time, his heart out-ruled his mind. His heart was beating fast, dancing like a jester who had fallen hopelessly in love and had to get out his mirth. Remus knew his heart was beating too fast to be healthy. His heart rate could be lethal. He felt his nerves acting up and suddenly it was as if he'd lost control of his body.

"Remus…" It was the only word Tonks could muster up from her mind to leave her lips.

"Dora…" Remus breathed, unable to say anything different.

Suddenly, they both saw nothing. Their hearts were flying with colors, swirling around them like a dancing patronus, and meeting together in between to become one. Their lips touched, grazed by gently at first, but then they both pushed for more intensity. Who started it they didn't know. All they knew was that they were kissing. Their lips met and they kissed with amour. They kissed fervently, passionately, and longingly. It was as if that kiss should have happened a long time ago. Kissing each other felt so right for that moment. They ignored their screaming brains, their scolding conscience, and their voice of reason that had just face-palmed itself. They simply listened to their foolish hearts. Their hearts were telling them to allow themselves to yearn the other person, and they listened. They closed their eyes and kissed with great fervor. Neither had felt anything remotely similar to the burning emotions they had inside.

Remus had never kissed someone like her before. He'd never kissed smiling lips, and her lips were parted, smiling when his met hers halfway. Her lips were warm and gentle and they had enough force in them to fight with him in intensity and passion. He could feel her arms creep up behind him, sending pleasant chills up his spine. Her hand got lost in his hair while the other was holding the side of his face. He could taste her aroma, her sweet and comforting aroma he had unknowingly fallen in love with as well. She smelled like lavender chamomile and her lips had a hint of butterbeer. There was also a warm and comforting scent of new parchment and fresh ink on her. All those scents made up her. All those emotions she gave him made him feel the one word he was afraid to feel for her, knowing he would burden her, curse her future, and hurt her. He felt _love_. It was then that he knew. No longer was it friendship, it was love.

Tonks had never kissed someone quite like him before. Her lips had met many in her long and winding quest for love, but when her lips met his, they suddenly fitted so perfectly. Kissing him, she felt as if all her previous heartbreaks had truly meant nothing. Kissing him, she felt as if the world did have a silver lining and everything would right itself in the end. His lips tasted like chocolate and firewhiskey. He'd been drinking, but when? She could feel his scent rise up her nose, a scent she'd unknowingly fallen in love with. He smelled like sweet chocolate and faint firewhiskey. There was a comforting aroma of old parchment and dried ink on him as well, a comforting, mature and homely feeling. She'd never kissed mature lips before, and his, though were slightly dry, fitted so well. It was then that she was entirely certain of her feelings for him. She'd been laboring under the delusion that it was just a minor crush for so long, but now she knew. No longer was it friendship, it was love.

Like the suddenness of how their kiss began, the end of their kiss came suddenly as well. Remus and Tonks' mind both returned to them and seized control: the logical mind over the foolish heart. They both pulled back, eyes wide but hazy as if drowning in the loving feeling of sweet amour. Their hair was disheveled, lips swollen, and chest drumming with an uneven rhythm. No words could come out and nothing else could be done. They'd kissed, and they were both afraid. Tonks looked at Remus and thought she'd moved too far, too fast with him. She thought she'd made him feel awkward. Never did it occur to her that since he'd kissed her back, he probably felt the same way, never. Remus looked at Tonks and not only did he think he'd misunderstood her feelings and took it too far, he was scolding at himself for being so weak. He knew being with her would burden her and he loved her too much to allow that. Yes, he admitted he loves her. But because he loves her that he couldn't allow her to be burdened by him.

Remus pushed himself off the ground as Tonks scrambled up to her feet. They both blushed intensely, looking at each other. "Um…" Remus began uncertainly. What should he say?

"I…uh…" Tonks began. She wondered what they'd done.

"Tonks…I…um…we…"

"Remus…um…good night," she spoke the last two words quickly and turned on her heels sprinting out of the room, her cheeks flushing with a shade of red she never knew she could morph in to. When she walked away from him, Tonks felt her heart yearning him. She was yearning for the man with the withering and damaged soul. She wanted more than ever to patch it up and make it smile whole again. She didn't know that Remus' heart was yearning for the young and colorful auror as well. He wanted more than ever than to hold her and protect her.

Love was an odd thing for them. It was a misunderstanding for them. Remus thinks that Tonks only wanted friendship. Tonks thinks that Remus only wanted friendship. They were too blind to see that the other felt the same love and emotions for them. And they were too blind to see that they were meant for each other.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello! Thank you so much everyone for all the reviews last chapter. I got an ending planned ;D and also part of the plot for (I guess you can say) a sequel to 'Life Like This'.

Alright, so now I apologize for dragging out Remus and Tonks' love story so long...SPOILER It will be dragged out even longer. I'm sorry there's not enough fluff, we all love some Remus and Tonks fluffiness. But well, my impression is that since they meet and basically instantly fall in love, there has to be some windy development that led to a love that strong for them. To me it would seem more realistic, so that is my excuse for dragging it out so long. I apologize once again. But...at least they finally kissed right? xD

And so comes my wonders. See, I'm afraid I may have gone a little overboard explaining the emotions of the kiss. Um, please tell me if you can how it was, sorry and thank you.

Also, I finally had Andromeda Tonks make an appearance. There's literally very little of her in the actual book, so if she's slightly OOC I apologize.

Now ok, enough of me apologizing and making up lame excuses. Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting! They mean a lot to me! I hope you enjoy the story! ^_^


	22. Behind that Door

**Chapter 22 – Behind that Door**

Some say time flies when you're having fun. But looking back on the one week that went fleeting by, Tonks felt that time flew by just as quickly when you're troubled as well. In that one week, she'd kissed Remus Lupin and they still haven't talked about it, but their friendship seemed to have collided with a brick wall. The conversations didn't flow as smoothly, the silence became deafening, and standing next to him, all she could hear was the thunderous beating of her own heart. Tonks wondered if she'd made a wrong turn with the kiss.

Aside from troubles with friendship and romance, Tonks also spent that one week with her cousin, getting to know him all over again. Sirius Black had changed, she knew that. But soon Tonks came to discover that inside him still stood the old Sirius Black, the man he used to be before Azkaban had taken its toll. He was standing behind a door closed shut, waiting for a safe time to come out. She'd gotten so much closer to him. And by the end of the week before the trial, she'd grown fearful of losing him to the dementors again. She'd lost him once before and a second time seemed unbearable.

Before they knew it, then came the day of Sirius' trial. They stood at the foot of the stairs in a long black hallway with chilling marble walls that looked like standing water. On lever nine of the Ministry of Magic, they were at the hall leading into the eerie and mysterious Department of Mysteries. The staircase beside them would lead to Courtroom Ten where the final verdict will be heard. Standing there were Sirius, Tonks, and Andromeda.

"It's almost time Sirius," Andromeda spoke. "I'm not allowed inside. But everything will be alright," she told him, comforting the man who seemed nervous.

He nodded and grinned broadly. Something about their family was that they always concealed the negative emotions behind a smile. It was obvious to Andromeda and Tonks that Sirius was holding worry behind that smile, much like they were doing themselves.

"Don't worry Sirius, Lexi and I will be right there. And Remus will be there too. You won't be alone," Tonks comforted.

His casual façade remained unchanged as he nodded and softly said, "thank you." Sirius turned around to look at the stairs. He was finally getting a trial. He huffed and toyed with the sleeves of the prison uniform he'd been forced to wear again, black and white horizontal stripes from the mental asylum of Azkaban. He missed the warm winter cloak his cousins had given him. It was a simple black winter cloak, but it had given him so much warmth.

"It's almost time Sirius," Tonks told him.

"Time to make a fool out of Fudge," Sirius laughed weakly.

"You won't need it, but good luck," Andromeda told him. She gave him a gentle pat before he ascended the stairs and turned right, disappearing into another small corridor without daring to sneak a look behind.

"It'll be fine mum," Tonks told her mother, seeing worry present on her face.

"Nymphadora…thank you," Andromeda spoke softly. "Thank you for bringing my cousin back to me. I know I never liked your career choice of becoming and auror…" she paused. Out of all people, Andromeda Tonks knew exactly the reason why her daughter took one of the most dangerous jobs there is. And it all had to do with the dark witch who had haunted her past, her dear aunt Bella. Andromeda sighed. "I never wanted you to become an auror. But sweetheart, I am so proud of you." She held Tonks' face gently with soft, kind eyes.

Tonks hadn't expected that at all. Her mother always was against her becoming an auror. But hearing her words gave her confidence and strength to keep going and always try harder. She was more determined than ever now. "Thanks mum. I love you," she smiled softly, genuinely.

"I love you too sweetheart. Now go and help our cousin."

She smiled and watched as her mother turned back and walked down the empty hallway, stepping into the lift as the wrought golden grills closed with a metal click and the lift shot back roughly, disappearing, heading back to the Atrium.

Now alone, Tonks took a deep breath. She wondered where her other cousin was. Maybe Alexis had already gone into the courtroom. Tonks glanced down the empty hall and saw no one. There only stood a closed black door that led to the Department of Mysteries. It looked so eerie and quiet. Tonks wondered how Alexis could live with spending so much time down there.

"_Ok, stop wasting time,_" Tonks thought to herself.

She huffed again and took another deep breath. Though it was Sirius' trial, she personally can't help but worry. He was her cousin. To her, cousins had always been closer than siblings. Once she goes inside, it would make everything a final reality. She didn't like to admit it, but there was always a chance that she could lose Sirius to the dementors again. It was almost time for the trial to begin and she shouldn't be late. Tonks carefully ascended the stairs and turned left, disappearing into another small corridor, dark and empty as well.

Cold black wooden seats rose by levels along each wall. In Courtroom Ten, the room was square, made by black stone and lit by torches. Tonks stepped inside and immediately the rush of dry, cold air enveloped her. In the middle of the room sat a large chair, throne like, where Sirius sat. Across from him was the high podium where the prosecutor, Cornelius Fudge, sat. Behind him in the highest rising benches seated the Wizengamot. Tonks was surprised by the shockingly large number of absent seats. She wondered how come the Wizengamot was lacking so many. The only members there were ones who openly supported Fudge, one of them being the portly woman Tonks knew as the nitpicky toad, Dolores Umbridge. If there was a living definition for sickly sweet, it was her. Tonks wondered if Fudge had pulled some last minute strings.

In the middle of the room, Tonks saw that Sirius had now confided his worry behind a mask of disgust and malice. The lanky man in new prison robes defiantly shot death glares at the Minister. Fudge returned the glare but his sneering gaze was of no match against Sirius' aristocratic hauteur of the infamous house of Black. Sirius was confident with his cousins' abilities and sat in the chair, hiding all traces of weakness behind his haughty act. He sat in the chair like it was a throne, a Black trait Tonks didn't possess, to hold prestige in any situations.

Sitting as a spectator on the cold bench three steps down from the top was Remus Lupin. He was the only one there. Tonks' heartbeat skyrocketed immediately and she had to force herself to retain her morph and hide her blush. Remus' eyes met hers just like always. Their contact was brief and fleeing however as they both shyly turned away. In the short moment when soft blue met dark green, their hearts felt the same yearning, longing feeling that overwhelmed them the moment after they'd pulled back from that one kiss. The feelings were present and another glance back, they could see it in each others' eyes. Sadly, they foolishly refused to admit it and instead labored under the delusion that they are not worthy.

Her body ignored her mind yet again as her legs moved without control. Tonks turned and walked up the stone seats, stumbling a bit. She caught herself once when she fell and sat down beside Remus. He gave her a half-hearted smile though his eyes seemed reluctant to leave hers and return to his best friend in the center of the room.

"Wotcher Remus." She just had to say something. They hadn't been exactly the same since they'd kissed. And so she greeted him softly, her customary Tonks-like greeting.

"Hello Nymphadora," he replied just as softly.

"Where is everyone? The trial should've started by now."

"I don't know Marrick came in earlier and Alastor and Alexis left with him."

"Marrick's here?" Tonks mused out loud. "I though he's on vacation."

"That's what I saw."

"What about the other Wizengamot members?"

"Sorry. I haven't seen the others."

Silence struck again. It was so quiet they could hear the ticking of the clock. She heard several clocks actually, all ticking against each other constantly. Courtroom Ten had no clocks.

"Have they taken your statement yet?" Tonks asked, hating the silence.

"Yes, about an hour ago. Did you get into any trouble Tonks?"

"No, Mad-Eye and Silvia never told anyone else we helped Sirius," she answered him.

Remus nodded. "I wonder what's taking them so long."

"I wonder where Lexi, Silvia, and Moody are."

He nodded and again, silence came as a very unwelcomed visitor.

The long silence finally came to an end when he spoke. "Dora I'm sorry."

She turned to face him, parting her lips, about to ask why when she was suddenly interrupted by the loud opening of the large door that led into the courtroom. Tonks and Remus turned to face the door, seeing Mad-Eye Moody storm through, his wooden leg clonking against the granite floor. Following behind Mad-Eye was Silvia and Tonks could see Alexis walk in a few seconds later, seeming to be waving to Marrick from outside the door with a grateful smile on. She looked up and saw the door behind the Wizengamot seats was open and the rest of the members quietly filed in. Fudge's face turned an impressive shade of red when he suddenly saw this. Perhaps he hadn't been the one pulling last minute strings after all.

Her question to Remus remained unasked as Tonks closed her mouth again, smiling to Alexis while the Unspeakable climbed the seats up to sit near her, just a row below.

"Where have you been? The trial is at least ten minutes late," Tonks spoke.

"Since when were you one for being on time?" Alexis scoffed. "I was just getting help."

"Help? How?"

"Kingston happens to have some very strong connections to the Wizengamot and we met with a few of the members to discuss the validity of the evidence and information and Fudge's intention to keep this case covered up and no doubt pass the wrong judgment. Mad-Eye and Silvia came to help explain in further details to them. I was just there to watch," Lexi smirked.

Tonks looked up as the last member of the Wizengamot, a middle aged man in long black robes sat down in his seat. She remembered the shocking amount of absent seats earlier and found herself patting her cousin's shoulder. "A few members?" she asked, knowing it was one of Lexi's many great understatements.

"A few, a lot, all that matters is it increases Sirius' chance of being cleared entirely."

"You can tell he really appreciates it," Remus pointed out to them as he gestured for Tonks and Alexis' attention to turn to Sirius who was childishly waving and smiling at them.

Tonks smiled and was about to mouth something to him but the gavel sounded and Sirius' head immediately whipped back to face the Minister. "_What is it cut off Tonks day?_" she thought to herself and sighed, listening as the trial finally began.

* * *

><p>The sound of the gavel echoed through the room, calling forth a bleak and sudden silence. Tonks took a soft breath, watching as her lanky cousin suddenly tensed within his seat. It finally came the moment and Tonks wondered just how hard Fudge was going to press them to have things go his way. The Wizengamot members silenced and Tonks took the chance to quickly glance at Alexis who sat to her right. Alexis had a confident smirk on her face, and Tonks was slightly relieved by that confidence. She then turned to Remus and suddenly her heart swelled again. They were so close but they couldn't talk. She sighed inwardly as Fudge spoke.<p>

"Criminal trial on the fourth of January 1994 into crimes committed by Sirius Orion Black, resident at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London," Fudge spoke in a long, drawn out dry voice. "Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic and the Wizengamot. Witnesses involved within the case: Alexis Lydia Black, Remus John Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Severus Snape, and Nymphadora Tonks. The charges for the accused are as followed: that he had released confidential information of the Potters' residence under the Fidelius Charm to _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_, which in turns makes Black traitor to the Potters, and responsible for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles, on Halloween Night of the year 1981."

"He must be daft, listing Pettigrew as one of the witnesses involved and also stating that he was dead," Alexis whispered to Tonks and Tonks smirked.

"Do you, Sirius Orion Black, deny that you were the Potter's secret keeper?"

"Yes," Sirius replied straightforwardly.

"And who was the Potter's secret keeper?"

"Peter Pettigrew," Sirius replied, remembering Alexis' tip to keep things brisk and true.

"How did you know it was Peter Pettigrew?"

"I told them to make him…" He was suddenly cut off by Fudge's further questioning.

"So you were responsible for Peter Pettigrew being the Potter's secret keeper and thus causing the betrayal that killed James Potter and his wife?"

That question got to him. Sirius had always felt guilty since he was the one who told James to entrust the secret in Peter, one moment of blindness. Even though Tonks didn't know how Fudge was going to charge her cousin for placing his trust in the wrong person, she still saw that Fudge was pushing Sirius' buttons and trying to get him to crack and mess up somehow.

"Your answer Mr. Black," Fudge spoke, leaning in closer towards them.

"Yes but…" Sirius was cut off yet again.

"And from that we may conclude that you grew angry because Peter Pettigrew had betrayed your friends. You chased after him onto the muggle street in London and then you attempted to kill him and in turn killed the twelve muggles present."

"Yes I chased after Peter but…" Sirius answered and that was his fault there, the _yes._

As expected, Tonks sighed as Fudge cut him off again. "I believe that is all we need to hear as you have admitted to chasing Peter Pettigrew and attempting to kill him which in turn caused the death of the twelve muggles."

"I didn't kill anyone!" Sirius jumped in with a louder voice, growling at Fudge.

"Mr. Black, please control your temper in front of the Minister for Magic and the Wizengamot," Fudge told him with a sigh while trying to hold back a smirk.

"No, you…" Sirius began but caught himself. Perhaps cursing the Minister in front of so many witnesses wasn't a good idea. He huffed and spoke again. "It was Peter Pettigrew who killed those twelve muggles, staging his own death. Why do you think he hadn't shown up until now and why do you think he'd been hiding as Ronald Weasley's pet rat? No innocent man would do that for twelve years of his life."

"Mr. Black that information is valid only for the Peter Pettigrew trial and…"

"I don't care which trial it's valid for but that's the truth!" Sirius told them, irritated now.

"Blimey, if Sirius kills Fudge we're going to have a lot of trouble on our hands," Alexis sighed as she looked at the angered expression on Sirius' face.

"I think I may have to join him," Tonks spoke softly, growing irritated at Fudge. "If that happens will you help me as well?" She whispered to Alexis while the Wizengamot were discussing within each other using hushed voices as well.

"You know it's a tough job being your cousin," Alexis sighed.

"Nymphadora don't do anything reckless, Sirius wouldn't want that," Remus whispered.

Tonks opened her mouth, about to speak but yet again she was cut off. That time however, she wasn't cut off by Fudge. It was bearable because she was cut off by a woman whom she recognized to be Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Tonks' superior. Tonks sighed and slouched in her seat. "_I hate cut off Tonks day._"

"Pardon me Minister," Amelia Bones began and then turned to Sirius once Fudge nodded at her. "Sirius Orion Black, can you tell us what happened after you caught up with Peter Pettigrew?" she asked in a strictly stern and unbendable voice. She had a square jaw and thin lips that made her come off as strict and unbendable, not so different from her actually personality.

"I ran after him into a muggle neighborhood," Sirius sighed and began. "He was crying, he was pleading me not to kill him." Sirius paused for a moment and glanced over towards Tonks, Remus, and Alexis. "To be completely honest, I did want to kill him. If you're put in my shoes, you'd want to do the same thing. He was like a brother to us, Remus, James, and I. I had my wand out, pointed at him and threatening him. But he was pleading me and I couldn't do it. At that moment not only did I see him as a traitor, I still saw him as scared little Peter, as Wormtail, a nickname we gave him. He used that moment to cast a strong blasting spell on the street and killed the twelve muggles in the explosion. He cut off his own finger and then transformed into a rat and escaped."

"And the events following were the aurors arriving because of the magical mishap. Alastor Moody caught you on the scene and brought you to the Ministry, correct?" she asked.

"Yes, correct. But I never got a trial. I was simply tossed into Azkaban the day after."

"What Black said could not be proven," Cornelius Fudge spoke up. "It was on his account only and the true story could have been different."

"Then I suggest Minister, that we bring forth Peter Pettigrew," Amelia Bones told him.

"We told her about Pettigrew," Alexis whispered to both Tonks and Remus. "Marrick knows her personally and we got some time to speak with her. We told her about Pettigrew and Snape and everything."

Fudge looked up at them, his eyes sneering at Sirius and then to the small group of spectators on the wooden seats in the room. "Bring forth Peter Pettigrew," he announced.

The guards were quick as they escorted Sirius out of his seat and onto the side where he sat at the lowest level of the wooden benches. Sirius sat across the room from his cousins and friend and was only able to look at them with a small air of trust and confidence in his eyes. Tonks managed a weak smile at her cousin while watching the guards rapidly bringing Peter Pettigrew into the courtroom. The man looked no different from before, short and plump with a large bald patch, thinning brown hair that had lost its color, and an almost rat like face. The man was crouching in fear almost, and once he saw Remus and Sirius, he let out a squeal and tried to run to them but the guards held him back and pushed him roughly into the chair.

It was Amelia Bones who spoke that time while Fudge was still glaring at all spectators in the room, including Sirius and Pettigrew. "Peter Pettigrew, prior to coming here you have been given two vials of Veritaserum, correct?" she asked.

Tonks saw that Pettigrew was struggling a bit with his answer but he eventually nodded.

"Can you tell us what happened on Halloween Night of 1981?"

Again there was the struggle, but Tonks saw that Peter Pettigrew was too weak and untrained in resisting the effects of Veritaserum. So while for others such as Occlumens or the Unspeakables, Veritaserum wasn't reliable, for Peter Pettigrew, it truly was the strongest truth-telling potion in the world.

"I…I was released from _You-Know-Who_'s headquarter," he spoke in a small, squeaky whisper, still fighting hard to resist the serum but to no avail. "I heard he was g…going to the Potter's. So I…I…I left quickly. I went back to my hiding place to pack up quickly and was about…t…to flee. But Sirius Black c…caught up to me and chased me to a muggle street. Then I needed to escape so I used the Bombarda Maxima Spell and blew up the street…cutting off my finger and escaping," he told them, truthfully with much resistance. Every word that came out of Pettigrew's mouth, Tonks knew he was trying to hold back. He'd basically just confessed to his crimes right then and there and Tonks thought the entire Ministry should simply go to hell if they continue to try and punish Sirius.

"And you were the Potter's secret keeper and betrayed them to _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_?" Amelia Bones asked again.

"Y…yes ma'am," Pettigrew replied in a fearful voice barely above a whisper.

"And because of your spell, the Bombarda Maxima Spell, you were also responsible for killing the twelve muggles present that night?"

Pettigrew squealed and squeezed his eyes shut as the answer forced itself out of him. "Yes ma'am," he squealed in a pitchy voice.

"Aside from Peter Pettigrew's confession entirely matching Sirius Black's statement," Amelia Bones began, looking mainly at Fudge. "We've also received a written statement from Severus Snape, stating his knowledge of Peter Pettigrew's activity with the Death Eaters under the control of _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_."

A set of papers was handed to a guard who quickly and quietly passed it to Fudge. Tonks could only guess that those papers were the written statements Snape had agreed to provide them with. Not only did they have Peter Pettigrew's confession, they had Snape's statement to back it up. Tonks was now entirely certain that if Sirius was punished in any way at all by the Ministry, the entire Ministry of Magic was corrupted.

"Those in favor of conviction," Madam Bones spoke.

It was the final moment. Tonks watched intently, ignoring the deafening silence as the members began to stir and raise their hands. Several hands were raised and Tonks couldn't count them fast enough, but she knew there was an impressive amount of hands raised.

"Those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges…"

She was counting again as each hand rose. There were those in silky black robes that raised their hands and those in solid burgundy. Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five… Their hands came up and down too fast for her to count exactly. It was the expression on Cornelius Fudge's face that gave her an idea what the final verdict was. Hesitantly almost lazily, Fudge picked up the gavel.

"Sirius Orion Black ruled as not guilty and cleared of all charges," he spoke in a defeated voice and quickly rose before all others, leaving the room through a small door behind where the Wizengamot were seated.

A grin danced across Tonks' face, Alexis' face, Remus, and Sirius' as well. Tonks stood up and along with the others they quickly made their way down to him. Moody and Silvia followed quickly as well. Silvia had a genuine smile on her face while Moody released a grunt of approval, happy with the outcome. As the members of the Wizengamot began disbanding and leaving through the small door behind them, Tonks ran towards Sirius who was released by the guard and hugged him tightly.

"Yes!" she yelled as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"I'm free!" Sirius screamed while jumping up and down as Remus patted his shoulder.

"Yes, yes, we're all happy," Moody grunted, ruining the happy moment. "Come on Sirius, you don't want to walk out on the Ministry wearing prison uniforms do you?"

"Well I guess not," Sirius sighed, looking at his black and white horizontal striped robes.

"Sirius I think horizontal black and white stripe's your color," Alexis teased.

"More yours than mine," Sirius retorted, sticking his tongue out at her.

Tonks couldn't help but laugh as she saw Mad-Eye Moody roll his eyes, both eyes. "Follow Silvia and she'll lead you to the bathroom. Get yourself changed into these," he grunted, tossing Sirius a sack of clothes.

"Thank you Moody," Sirius grinned. "I didn't expect you to buy new clothes for me."

"Yeah Mad-Eye," Tonks smiled. "This isn't like you."

"It was Andromeda and Silvia who went and got these for you now hurry up. They've got another hearing in here in a few minutes and we've got to get out."

Quickly, they walked out of Courtroom Ten through the same door Tonks had gone in from earlier. Remus was beside Sirius and had on the wolfish grin Tonks only saw on him when he was happy. She glanced back at them. Sirius followed Silvia down another small hallway from where the lifts are, perhaps the location of the bathroom down on the ninth level. Remus walked a bit faster, walking beside Moody now. She wanted to slow down and talk to him, but he seemed to be in a conversation with Moody. Tonks sighed inwardly. She'd been trying to talk to him, really trying, but something always got in the way.

* * *

><p>With the prison robes finally off and in a new set of clothes, he almost couldn't recognize himself. Sirius stood facing the large mirror in the bathroom. He could hear someone humming a familiar tune outside, Silvia perhaps as she said she'd be outside waiting for him. He smirked to himself and then looked back in the mirror. He still couldn't recognize himself.<p>

He wore a black buttoned jumper with a vest, neatly tucked and worn, all under a dark grey blazer. It was his style of choice, from his days at Hogwarts up until then. Sirius noticed he was skinnier, loads skinnier. His eyes were darker than before and his face was boney and hollow. His smile wasn't as bright as that Sirius-like grin from years ago. Looking in the mirror, he was heartbroken by how much he'd changed.

Sirius sighed as he buttoned his cuff links neatly into place. It had been twelve years, and he was finally a free man. Everything was different, he knew that. Everyone had changed. Andromeda, comforting and supportive Andromeda, had gotten older with age. There were more lines on her face and her brown hair had traces of grey in it. Her personality was still the same however, because the haunting memories of her past had been pushed away by her for twelve years and didn't haunt her again.

Alexis, witty and darkly beautiful Alexis, she'd grown into a spitting replica of both her parents. She wasn't the silly and goofy little girl anymore. She was a smart and calculative woman. Her brilliant mind was like her dad, along with her calculative, witty, and rebellious nature. But she had self control and care like her mother as well.

There was Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks, colorful and as beautiful as ever. Sirius chuckled. If she ever heard him refer to her as Nymphadora he'd be hexed into the middle of next week. She looked just like Andromeda, but on another angle, she looked like dear aunt Bella as well, much more than Lexi. Tonks had grown up from the immature and loud-mouthed little Nymphie, his little Tonksie, to Auror Nymphadora Tonks, smart, brilliant, strong, and determined. But she was still as clumsy and colorful as ever. He was glad that aspect of her hadn't changed.

Harry was there too. The boy had tried his hardest to help him, and he'd helped Sirius so much by forgiving him and accepting him as his godfather. Harry looked so much like James, but with Lily's eyes. Sirius could remember them easily, every feature, every aspect, every memory. Harry was there for him too.

And then there was Remus. Kind, forgiving, bookworm Moony, his friend, his brother. Remus had definitely changed. But he hadn't as well. He was still kind and gentle and clever like Sirius remembered. He smiled easily. He still loves chocolate, and he was still the wonderful brother Sirius admitted to having. But Remus seemed more burdened now, as if many years of loneliness and lycanthropy had taken its toll on him.

Sirius sighed. But then he remembered when Remus was with Tonks. He smiled easy and weightlessly as if he was never a werewolf, as if they were never betrayed, and as if he'd never been hurt before. It was obvious. Sirius could see Remus' feelings for Tonks. Normally he'd protest. Remus was too old for Tonks and Remus was his friend, he couldn't get together with his baby cousin. But seeing how happy Remus was with Tonks and how she was happy with him, Sirius didn't want to intervene. He sighed again and straightened his blazer collar. Twelve years passed, and so many things were different.

He turned towards the bathroom door. Once he steps out of there, he was a new man. He was a changed man after the scars and pain of his haunting and sullen past. But he still had friends. He had Remus, and he had his cousins, his beloved cousins. And Sirius couldn't forget the help he got from Marrick, that boy Alexis seems to fancy, and Mad-Eye Moody, and Silvia as well. Silvia was waiting for him outside the door. She was an old friend of his. He remembered she and him had dated for several months back in school. She was a wonderful girl, loyal, smart, beautiful, and kind.

"I'm a free man," Sirius smiled as he walked out the door.

* * *

><p>The Atrium was filled with people, walking hastily to and from. Tonks turned and still saw Remus speaking with Mad-Eye, deep in a conversation about something. Beside her, Marrick and Alexis were talking quietly about something as well and Marrick bid her farewell, leaning down to kiss her cheek quick as lightning, and leaving. In front of her Tonks' mother stood, tall and dignified. They were waiting for Sirius to come out so they could take him home.<p>

"You and Sirius will stay with me," Andromeda spoke. "Until Alexis finds a new place."

Tonks nodded but then her face turned to a confused expression. "Wait, a new place?"

"I nearly forgot to tell you," Alexis smirked and Tonks rolled her eyes at her cousin. "Hey, it's hard being your cousin so cut me some slack. Now, our apartment is way too small. And Sirius can't live with Andromeda forever. Since he doesn't have a job right now, he could stay with us until he gets money for his own place. Yes he could use money from the Black family vault in Gringotts, but honestly, even I won't touch it," Alexis smirked. "So with all the money I've saved up, we can get a new flat, a bigger flat," she grinned.

She shrugged and grinned as well. "A bigger flat is fine with me."

A little more time passed and Tonks began tapping her feet impatiently. Moody and Remus had finally finished talking and they were walking back, closer to them. Tonks came up first and Moody patted her shoulder as he joined the others, standing waiting at the front of the main lift from the Department of Mysteries where Sirius and Silvia would come out from. Tonks then opened her mouth and finally got to speak.

"Remus…we need to talk."

Her eyes saw the apologetic look flitting onto his face. "Nymphadora I'm sorry, I must return for my classes and tell Harry of the verdict," he told her. His voice broke half way but he quickly recovered. Tonks' heart throbbed and she wanted to hold him and ask him what exactly the meaning of the kiss was. Had he meant it, or was she being silly and too hopeful?

Tonks swallowed down her words and nodded. "Alright, we'll talk later."

"Goodbye Nymphadora," he told her.

"Goodbye Remus," she nodded and watched as he took another look at her and then turned, heading into one of the large chimneys that aligned the Atrium. Tonks was desperate for an answer, but things kept getting in the way.

"Nymphadora," her mother called her and Tonks groaned.

People have been calling her by her dreaded first name all day and Tonks felt that unless she said something, it would become a habit. "Don't call me Nymphadora mother!" she spoke a little more briskly than she had wanted to.

Andromeda shot her a dark and threatening maternal glare. They turned and faced the lift and the wrought golden grills slid open, allowing Sirius and Silvia to step out. Sirius wore brand new clothes in the old style he always preferred. There was a grin plastered on his face and a soft smile on Silvia's. When they came out of the lift, Tonks noticed that the noise in the entire Atrium slowly died down. People were looking. They heard hushed voices all around them, perhaps questioning why Sirius Black was walking free in front of Mad-Eye Moody himself. Sirius took another step outside and joined his cousins.

"What are you looking at?" Moody growled. "Sirius Black's an innocent man! Now get!"

Then the hushed voices in the Atrium shifted into loud words of confusion. Tonks smirked, knowing what tomorrow's headline in the Daily Prophet would be. A few people near them were asking for an explanation, the whole story. They ignored them and continued walking, disappearing one by one to their destination. Tonks thought the story could be saved until tomorrow when the Prophet publishes the news and the entire story, the truth. Tonks watched as Andromeda and Alexis vanished in a sea of green flames. Then she and Sirius stepped inside, throwing a handful of floo powder into the chimney and watching as images of the Atrium swirled into a mist of green. And the next thing they saw was the living room to _home_.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

SIRIUS BLACK IS FREE! (I find it just cruel to not free him. J.K. Rowling, no matter how brilliant and wonder and...ahem back to the point, is _ruthless_! She _did_ kill off Sirius, and Dobby, and Moody, and Fred, and Remus and Tonks...cryyyyyyyyyyyy)

And I apologize for dragging out Remus and Tonks' relationship once again. xD They're at the awkward "after we kiss" stage now, because my impression of them is that Remus is just shy in terms of romance, and Tonks is feeling shy around him because he makes her feel different from all the rest and she is unsure of what to do about it in fear of messing it up. My friend told me to just give them a chance to "have a right good shag" for once, but I'm afraid that won't happen any time soon. Sorry!

Now also, I was a bit iffy writing the little bit about Sirius because I'm not too sure about how his character feels. I mean Sirius doesn't exactly strike me as the introverted kind of guy, but then he also had just gotten his name cleared, so he has to feel _something_. So...I apologize if that part about him in the bathroom looking at the mirror is a bit weird.

Anyways, thanks so much everyone for reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting, and supporting! xD 3


	23. Recovering the Forgotten Years

**Author's Note**

There's more about Sirius in this chapter, after all, he's finally free! So as you know, if I decide to continue on with this story, the plot would once again be different from canon because Sirius is free now! I already have a pretty good idea of how to write my next story so bear with me and thank you for the support. And too bad I can't fit in a scene about Sirius egging Snape's house or choking the Minister or something like that. It wouldn't fit the story no matter how fun it'd be to read or write. Anyways, thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting, and supporting! Oh and a happy/merry Christmas to everyone! 3 Hope you have lots of love, fun, beautiful memories, and warmth this Christmas. xD

**C****hapter 23 – Recovering the Forgotten Years**

For the past twenty-four hours, he'd been on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Everything had happened so fast, and before he knew it, he was a free man again. Sirius Black was a free man. He'd never thought this day would come. Sirius remembered when he was still in Azkaban the farthest he ever hoped for was simply to get out. He never thought he'd see his cousins or friend again. He never thought he'd find forgiveness and help. He never thought his godson would happily accept him. And he never, ever thought he'd get his innocence back. And after twelve years rotting in a cell of cement and charmed metal bars, Sirius Black never thought he'd be able to lie down in a cozy bed in a place he could call home again.

Andromeda's house was a small but cozy little home in Kent, no different than any of the other ones along the street. The garden was well kempt and the house was neat and tidy with a welcoming and homely feel. Often Sirius would spot a cloth rose either made of silk or velvet that Andromeda had folded herself, serving as decorations all over the house. Sirius remembered those roses. It had been the one thing still remaining from their childhood—the childhood before war tore them apart and brought every innocent mind into the trap of insanity. The love and bond from their past may have vanished, but those cloth roses still remain. Sirius sighed whenever he saw them. Like him, Andromeda hadn't completely been able to let go of the past either.

He'd slept in this room before—the room with cloth roses decorating the wall. Whenever he wanted to escape from his ridiculous house, he'd come here and hide out at Andromeda's, all throughout his childhood. Before she gave birth, that room was saved for him whenever he was over. Soon it became Tonks' room, and he watched her grow. He'd slept in the same bed while watching the little girl while Andromeda and Ted were out. Then Alexis came and lived with them, and Tonks and Alexis happily shared a bed on the other side of the room, while leaving that one for him. He then watched both girls grow. And now, many years later, he was back in that little room, lying on the same bed with the colorful quilt cover, facing the large slanted window adorned with silk and velvet roses Andromeda carefully folded, on the top floor of Andromeda's house in Kent. There he was, at home.

Sirius laid back, crossing his arms behind his head as he rested on the fluffy pillow. The bed was larger than he imagined, but still cozy all the same. The room hadn't changed much. But it was expected since he knew Alexis and Tonks probably wouldn't take all their baby stuff with them when they moved to a new flat. Sirius smiled softly. The ceiling was still white while the four walls were a clash of black and white and splattered rainbow. That was Alexis and Tonks trying to live together. He chuckled softly. Many features of the room were still the same, like the lopsided curtains or the bookshelf with the broken leg. But there were many changed features as well, such as the small crack in the window or the broken door that wouldn't close entirely.

The room was the same and different. After twelve years, Sirius knew that there would be changes. Though the changes may seem subtle in a small room, he wondered how subtle they would still be once he stepped foot out into the world.

"Sirius are you asleep?" a soft voice asked him and he turned to see Tonks enter quietly.

"No, I'm still waiting for dinner," he grinned. "Is it done?"

"Not yet," Tonks replied and came in, sitting down at the foot of his bed.

He raised an eyebrow. "Then shouldn't you be downstairs helping?"

She let out a dramatic sigh. "I've been banished from the kitchen after breaking three plates and dropping a frying pan on Lexi's foot," she told him.

He probably shouldn't laugh, but he couldn't help it. Sirius let out a barking laugh and Tonks scowled at him, playfully pushing him. "Nymphie, you are hopeless," he laughed.

"Oh would you stop calling me Nymphie? I'm twenty-one for god's sake!"

"It's a habit, Lexi still calls you Tonksie," he continued to laugh.

"And she always gets yelled at for that. Tonksie and Nymphie are so embarrassing!"

"Well how about we call you Nymphadora then? That's classy and formal," he teased.

She scowled at him but the upward curve of her lips took away all her threat. "You've got to be fucking serious," she groaned and rolled her eyes at him.

"I _am_ Sirius, but I'm not fucking myself," Sirius laughed.

"You're kidding right? Sirius that joke is ages old," she sighed.

"I can't help it. Twelve years may have passed to everyone else but for me, it's like Azkaban had frozen time for me. Now looking at you, I still see you as that loud-mouthed little girl who can't ever decide on which color to put her hair."

Tonks' expression suddenly turned serious as she looked at her cousin. She let out a soft sigh much like her mother would in the same situation. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't apologize. Besides, I never got a chance to thank you properly for helping me. Without you and Lexi, I'd probably still be in that tunnel under Hogwarts, trying to get the help of a cat at catching Peter."

She nodded then patted his hand. "Twelve years isn't the end of the world. We'll help you recover them and get updated with the time. It'll be like you never left."

He smiled and nodded. "So you mind telling me what's changed in these twelve years?"

"Where should I start?" Tonks mumbled, partly to Sirius, partly to herself.

"Well you could tell me why there's a crack in the window."

"Oh, funny, I guess mum and dad never got that fixed," Tonks spoke as Sirius pointed her attention to the small crack in the middle of the large window on the other side of the room. "That crack got there because when I was fourteen, Lexi snuck out at night to hang out with her friends. I was supposed to wait till she got home and open the door for her so that mum and dad wouldn't yell at her. But I fell asleep and Lexi threw a rock at the window. She threw it a bit too hard and it broke through, hitting me on the head," Tonks chuckled.

"Hmm, this gives me the impression that you and Lexi weren't very good little girls when you were in school." Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Good, the rebellious blood runs on!" he grinned. "Now what about that door?" he asked. "It wouldn't close properly."

"Mum broke it with her foot when she was angry at me and I was hiding up in my room."

"Andromeda kicked the door down? What'd you do?" Sirius wondered.

"Lexi and I pulled the prank the Marauders never succeeded in. Remember when you told us you, Prongs, and Moony who is Remus, tried to blow up the entire Hogwarts library with dungbombs but it didn't work because only one went off when you pulled a book out?"

"Yes! None of us could figure it out! We ended up giving up," Sirius replied.

"Well Lexi and I figured it out by tying a bunch of strings and charming them to stay connected and invisible. We set it just like you tried to, pull one book out and set the trap. Minerva McGonagall triggered it and the entire library exploded," she laughed. "But then she wrote letters home to mum and dad, and when we got home that summer…oh hell broke loose."

"Hell hath no fury like a Black woman angered," Sirius laughed.

"Sirius, some things may be different, but a lot of things are the same as well."

"Really? I'd like to know what changed and what hasn't," he sighed, still smiling.

"Not much has changed," Tonks told him, thinking of only the positive, not the negative, such as how some of them were only a shell of what they used to be. "For starters, we've all gotten older. I'm an auror now and believe it or not, I've matured from when I was seven or eight. Lexi's older too, and she spends a lot more time thinking than she does before. She'd also grown up to be quite a heartbreaker. Bet you never expected that. Voldemort is no longer a threat. There are more laws and regulations but it's bearable. See, not a lot has changed," Tonks spoke, being unable to list many positive things that had changed when she knew the negatives were so many. "A lot of things are still the same though. I'm still clumsy as ever and still a metamorphmagus. Lexi's still lazy and rebellious. Mum's still scary when mad. She never sees eye-to-eye with me. Dad's always the one calming her down when she gets furious by us. Remus is still your best friend," she smiled. "I bet he's still good ol' bookworm Moony. And we all are still a family. There's so much more."

Sirius smiled, looking at her, looking around the small room. The door suddenly opened again and they saw Lexi's head peek in. "Oh good you're awake," she smiled. "Andromeda said dinner's ready and she told Tonks to just throw her clumsy arse out the window for dropping a bloody frying pan on my foot," she smiled pleasantly.

He found himself laughing while Tonks stood up and chased after Lexi screaming, "I'll throw _you_ out the window you tosspot! I'll hex you into next week!"

Being around family again, Sirius didn't feel alone as before. He wondered how they all really were. Sometimes Sirius thought Alexis looked like she desperately needed some sleep. Tonks looked tired, like she has a lot on her mind. And Andromeda seemed faltering to her dreadful past. He sighed. It was going to take some time until he finally saw everything, and until then, he might as well enjoy life as it is.

When he got downstairs, Alexis and Tonks were fighting over the chair nearest to the window and furthest away from Andromeda. Alexis won, and Tonks ended up receiving a glare from her mother, but she still happily sat down beside the woman anyways. Sirius smiled. He saw Ted at the dinner table as well, and he wondered how he should greet the man. Ted was how Sirius remembered him, a fair-haired, big-bellied man with a pleasant and mellow voice.

"Sirius!" Ted Tonks smiled pleasantly. "Glad to see you're up and smiling. Come…sit before Dora eats all the food." Sirius' smile widened. Ted greeted him with normality. There was no special _I miss you _or _I haven't see you in years_. It was a simple greeting, and it made Sirius feel as if he'd never left. It was just like Ted, simple and easy, calm and casual, good ol' Ted Tonks. Looking at the table of four that had an empty chair waiting for him Sirius grinned and silently thanked them all. They were his family and he wouldn't trade them for the world.

* * *

><p>Sleeping had never been such a blissful thing to do. When he was in Azkaban, Sirius Black could never get a good night's sleep, not with the insane screaming prisoners less than ten feet away from him who actually <em>had<em> committed a crime worthy of Azkaban, and not with the dementors looming overhead, waiting to suck out any happy memories he could muster. That night, Sirius laid comfortably in the old bed with the colorful quilt. He tossed and turned a bit, but soon he'd fallen fast asleep, under the quiet lullaby of the night that sounded from an open window. In the middle of the night, he'd faintly hear the soft tune of a woman, humming. He smiled as he slept. Sirius recognized that tune, it was Andromeda. She always hummed that song, a familiar childhood song that they all knew, everyone in their family…even the mental ones. It was a song that had once held them all together, and Sirius could remember its exact lyrics. As Andromeda's soft voice hummed the tune, he sang the lyrics in his head.

_Little child, be not afraid  
><em>_The rain pounds harsh against the glass  
><em>_Like an unwanted stranger  
><em>_There is no danger  
><em>_I am here tonight_

_Little child, be not afraid  
><em>_Though thunder explodes  
><em>_And lightning flash  
><em>_Illuminates your tearstained face  
><em>_I am here tonight_

_And someday you'll know  
><em>_That nature is so  
><em>_This same rain that draws you near me  
><em>_Falls on rivers and land  
><em>_And forests and sand  
><em>_Makes the beautiful world that you see  
><em>_In the morning_

And before he knew it, the morning sun was shining gently on his pale skinned face. He was waking up to a brand new day, a day out of Azkaban, a day inside his home. Sirius rubbed his eyes gently and sat up, yawning and slowly adjusting to the soft golden sunlight that scattered through the window, casting a golden light that illuminated the lightless room. Though it was winter, it was warm, much warmer than the cell he used to see each day. Sirius got up out of bed, feeling renewed, better than before. He walked over to the window and looked out to the land outside. Andromeda and Ted were leaving the house, going to work perhaps, Andromeda with her elegant cloak around her shoulders while Ted kissed her goodbye and disapparated with his black leather briefcase. A soft layer of snow covered the ground, and the winter scenery never looked more beautiful. It was his first warm winter in twelve years.

Sirius sighed and stretched his limbs in his fresh new cotton pajamas that were so warm and comfortable, a solid navy blue color. He had a small smile on his face that seemed permanent. After a few minutes, Sirius exited the room and headed downstairs, his stomach hungry again, yearning for great food he hadn't had for so long.

When he got downstairs, he saw Tonks in the kitchen, her pink hair up in a messy bun as she wore shorts that showed too much of her leg and a shirt a few sizes too big, revealing her shoulder. Sirius shook his head. The little girl he knew was gone and in her place stood a grown woman who only had small traces of the little girl inside. Sirius suddenly felt like a grown up as he suddenly wanted to scold her for wearing so little in the middle of winter. He felt old. Luckily his Marauder self dismissed that, remaining as young as ever and Sirius came over to the kitchen table and sat down, grinning.

"Good morning Nymph…"

"Finish that and I'll rip your tongue out," Tonks snapped rather pleasantly.

Sirius simply laughed. "What did Andy make for breakfast?" he asked, knowing he could call Andromeda the childhood nickname she hated since she's out of the house.

"Mum didn't make anything. She said Lexi and I are old enough to take care of ourselves _and_ you," Tonks groaned as she scratched her jaw, looking at what seemed like a cookbook with a very odd expression on her face. "What the bloody hell does it mean by this?" she mumbled.

He watched his cousin warily as she held a frying pan with eggs in it over an open stove and a spatula in her other hand. Her wand was used to hold up her messy bun of brilliant pink hair while her face was twisted into a very odd expression while Nymphadora Tonks was trying to make sense of the instructions in a cookbook. Then it occurred to Sirius. Tonks couldn't cook. She never could before, and that was probably one of the things that hadn't changed.

"Um…Tonks…maybe we should let Lexi cook," Sirius suggested, knowing he wasn't much better than her at cooking. He couldn't even make toast without somehow setting it on fire.

"No I got this," Tonks told him, turning back to look at the pan. "Why's it taking so long?" she asked, wondering why the egg wasn't beginning to cook yet. "Oh perhaps I should turn the fire on higher," she mumbled and then reached for the knob that changed the setting.

Sirius didn't know why, perhaps it was a sixth sense, or perhaps he just knew his cousin too well, but he braced himself. "Oh shite, Nymphadora Tonks in the kitchen," he mumbled.

"Bloody hell!" Tonks suddenly yelled when she turned the knob and the stove ignited once, setting the frying pan in her hand on fire. "Do something!" she told him while trying to put the fire out with a wet cloth.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sirius replied, standing up and turning on the sink as Tonks brought the pan over in a hurry, the flame rising quite high. "God you're useless!"

"Hey! I don't need that!" Tonks told him while tossing the now burning cloth into the sink as well. "Oh wait, we have magic!" she suddenly spoke as if it wasn't the most obvious thing in the world. Tonks pulled her wand out of her hair and pointed at the fire in the sink. "_Aguamenti_," Tonks spoke as she put out the fire with a little bit of water from her wand.

When the fire was out, Sirius sighed and turned to look at his pink haired cousin who grinned and put her hair back up in a messy bun with her wand. "You're unbelievable."

"Maybe next time _you_ should cook then," she retorted.

"I _can't_ cook," Sirius told her. "That's why I'm counting on you lot. Now what am I supposed to do if I'm stuck living with you? I'll starve for Merlin's sake," Sirius teased.

Tonks was about to counter when she suddenly saw a disheveled looking Alexis Black rise sleepily from the couch. Tonks grinned at Alexis while she walked over to them, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Sirius realized that Alexis and Tonks had probably slept on the sofa last night, seeing that they still haven't cleaned up the pillows and blankets. Alexis didn't dress any better than Tonks did in his opinion. She was wearing shorts way too short and tight they almost looked like underwear, and her bright red tank top rose revealing too much of her chest. Sirius sighed.

"What's with all the screaming?" Alexis yawned.

"Our brilliant cousin Tonks here just burned the frying pan," Sirius announced.

"Again, why don't _you_ try cooking?" Tonks retorted and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Really Tonksie? Again?" Alexis asked as she picked her wand up from the sofa.

"_Lexi sleeps with her wand? Paranoid much. I'm guessing Tonks does too,_" Sirius thought to himself as Alexis walked over to them. He turned over to see Tonks playing with the wand holding her hair up. She never parts with her wand.

Alexis walked over and with a wave of her wand the burned tray suddenly lifted and cleaned itself, floating back into the cabinet where it came from. The burned cloth jumped into the trashcan and the ashes from the fire were cleaned up. Sirius was glad to know at least he lived with Alexis too and wasn't a ticking time-bomb in the kitchen. Lexi cleaned up Tonks' mess with no problem at all and she wasn't even surprised with Tonks.

"Honestly Tonksie, how many tries and how many frying pans will it take you to get eggs right?" Alexis complained. "It's just eggs cuz, nothing complicated." Lexi was looking around the kitchen, still yawning and stretching her limbs.

"I'm not completely terrible, I can make toast, coffee and tea," Tonks announced.

"So can a three year old," Sirius scoffed.

"No they can't," Tonks countered. "Three year olds can't reach the counter."

"Oh hush up both of you. How about we go to the Three Broomsticks? There's no food left since Tonks burned all the eggs," Lexi said, pointing to the dozen egg shells in the trashcan.

"Blimey Tonks how much egg did you put in the pan?" Sirius laughed.

"I thought it'd be faster! And why Three Broomsticks? Why not The Leaky Cauldron?"

"One, because it's close to Hogwarts and we have to go there and pack up our things," Alexis told her and Tonks nodded, suddenly remembering that she still had some of her clothes there. "Two, we've got to make sure Madam Rosemerta spreads the right story of Sirius."

"What?" Sirius and Tonks both asked at the same time.

"God," Alexis groaned and rolled her eyes. "Look at the paper," she spoke, wandlessly summoning _The Daily Prophet_ over to them from the sofa. "Sirius made the front page."

**SIRIUS BLACK: AN INNOCENT MAN?  
><strong>_Minister for Magic, the supposedly noble and self-righteous Cornelius Oswald Fudge, blamed for wrongfully sentencing innocent man to 12-years of Azkaban. Ministry said to have gone 'batty' by the public. No word yet on how Sirius Black is adjusting to life outside of Azkaban after 12 long years wrongfully taken away._

And sure enough, there on the front page of _The Daily Prophet_ was his name, his headline, in big bolded letters, in black ink. There was a picture of him as he was leaving the Atrium just the day before, looking so much different from the man on the wanted posters. Sirius skimmed over the first paragraph and grinned. The article was written by Rita Skeeter and oddly, it was bad for Fudge but benefiting for Sirius. He wondered if Alexis and Tonks really hadn't been joking when they brought up Skeeter's name in the argument against Fudge. His two cousins really did live up to their threats.

"I wish I could see Fudge's face reading this article," Tonks grinned. Inside her head, she was imagining a very red, maybe even purple Cornelius Fudge, choking up his morning tea as his expression twisted into a very odd mix between contempt, shock, fear, worry, and a whole mess of other things. She shook her head. It was a shame she couldn't see it.

"Oh I bet he probably choked on his tea," Lexi laughed.

"At least they got the right story," Sirius smiled.

"Yeah but what we need to know what the public think, and what better place to find out than the root of the grapevine, The Three Broomsticks," Alexis replied.

"Alright let's go there," Sirius smiled as Alexis began cleaning up the messy sofa she and Tonks had occupied the night before. "At least the food is better than Tonks' cooking. Yet again, any kind of food is better-ow!" Sirius spoke as Tonks slapped him in the back of the head, sticking her tongue out at him while going over to clean up her own mess on the sofa.

* * *

><p>The soft bell on top of the door dinged when they opened it. Three people, two women and a man walked in, cloaked and hooded from the snow. They were brushing the soft white snow off their shoulders and making their way into the back of the restaurant, weaving around the small crowds of people at the Three Broomsticks. Tonks tripped once, falling into Alexis' back and earning herself a snicker from Sirius and an eye roll from Lexi. Finally they got to the empty table in the back of the restaurant and sat down, their hoods still covering their faces.<p>

Of all the times she'd been there, Tonks knew that the Three Broomsticks usually didn't get busy until lunch or dinner time. But looking at the clock, it was only nine in the morning, and yet the place was filled and there were many words of rumors going back and forth. Apparently everyone had read the paper that morning, and they were just realizing what great story had taken place just yesterday at the Ministry of Magic.

"Two butterbeers and a glass of firewhiskey please," Lexi ordered and the waiter left.

"Lexi, drinking firewhiskey in the morning isn't a healthy habit," Sirius smiled.

"Oh sod off," Lexi replied and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Wow Lexi, you're right. This place is packed with gossip," Tonks commented after overhearing an old woman theorizing how Sirius Black probably won his freedom back by bribing the Minister with a sack of bungbees. Tonks wondered, "_What the hell is a bungbee_?"

"And we'd know everything once we talked to Madam Rosemerta," Lexi smirked as she took off her hood. "Oh speak of the devil," she smiled when Madam Rosemerta danced over to them with a bright smile on her face at all the business she was getting.

"Alexis my dear!" she smiled. "I didn't expect to see you this early in the morning. Came to add some more details to the news?"

"So I'm guessing you've heard about Sirius Black being an innocent man?" Tonks asked her, pulling her hood off as well while Sirius kept his covered, sitting quietly beside them.

Madam Rosemerta grinned at Tonks. Ever since they came to Hogwarts, she always loved seeing Alexis Black and Nymphadora Tonks at her restaurant. She knew they were related of course. Who could breeze by someone with the surname of Black without a second glance? But like most others who've known Alexis and Tonks, they usually didn't make relations from the girls to their insane relatives. "Oh of course, everyone's heard even if they haven't read the paper. Now, you two work in the Ministry, is it true? Is Sirius Black really innocent like the paper says?"

"Of course it's true, the entire story," Tonks answered before Lexi could open her mouth.

"It was Peter Pettigrew who committed all those crimes," Lexi told her.

"Peter Pettigrew?" Rosemerta asked, surprised. "But he was their friend!"

"And that was what caused the entire story," Alexis sighed, nodding her head side to side. "Sirius Black didn't kill Peter Pettigrew, Pettigrew betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who, and then faked his own death, blaming the whole thing on Black."

"How evil," Rosemerta gasped. "That poor boy Sirius, I've seen him grow up, all those years sneaking out of Hogwarts to come here and trying to get a drink from me even if he's underage," she spoke. "I knew he wouldn't do such a thing."

"And what does the public think?" Tonks asked, gesturing to the crowd around them.

"Frankly, I think they feel the same way I do, pitying Black, but most, or nearly all of them are still quite wary and skeptical of him," Rosemerta replied, giving them the straight out truth, unaware that Sirius was listening aptly in.

"He's an innocent man, why are they still so skeptical of him?" Tonks questioned.

"Because he's a Black," Alexis answered her dryly. "And he'd spent twelve years in Azkaban. Honestly Tonks, the whole public believes that Azkaban is a mental asylum and no one comes out of there completely sane and themselves," she told them, glancing a brief look at Sirius who continued to quietly hide under his hooded cloak.

"Exactly," Rosemerta replied as she stood up and took the tray from the waiter, giving them all their drinks, knowing to place the glass of firewhiskey on Alexis' side of the table. "It will be a rough ride for that man, at least for a while," she sighed and bade them a smile before turning to attend to the many other customers.

"Don't worry Sirius," Tonks sighed and patted Sirius' hand as he took his butterbeer.

"You've still got us," Lexi added and gave him a wan smile.

Sirius slowly took his hood off, unveiling his face to the crowd inside the restaurant. They slowly grew quiet, all eyes staring at him. Obviously he wasn't what they expected. He wasn't mad, and he was still sane enough to recognize his family and to still laugh with them. Sirius sighed inwardly. If the world was going to give him that skeptical look, he might as well rebelliously bask in it. After all, all Blacks these days get that look, because the public thinks since they were a Black, they were prone to lose their mind sooner or later. He turned to look at Lexi. She'd grown up with those looks from all around, and she hadn't lost her mind yet. He knew he wouldn't either, and with Alexis, Tonks, Andromeda, Remus, and even Harry there for him, he was sure he wasn't going to lose his mind any time soon, at least not lose all of it.

"It's fine," Sirius smiled, a charming, darkly handsome smile of his that hadn't appeared in over twelve years. "I've got my family and friends," he told them happily, surprising the public with his glee. Sirius didn't care about people who to him didn't matter.

Tonks and Alexis smiled and nodded as well. They could clearly see the skeptical looks and glances being shot at them like daggers. Many were targeted towards Sirius, being the man from Azkaban who were allowed back outside, basking in his newfound freedom. Many were for them, being the ones accompanying him and being related to him in some way, no matter how tenuous the connection seemed to be. Normally their temper would be gone and they'd be cursing at the crowd already. But somehow at that moment, they were able to contain it in for Sirius. When she noticed the lack of anger and desire to scream, Tonks realized she and her cousin have come a long way in just a few months.

"What do you say we finish our drinks and then go mooch breakfast off Remus and the kids at Hogwarts?" Sirius suggested while grinning just to show those people he was happy.

Lexi took a long gulp, draining her glass of whiskey down to only half. "And we still have to pack our bags and bid our farewells to everyone."

"It's a Wednesday, how are we going to see the kids?" Sirius wondered, ignoring the still quiet and skeptical glances all around them.

"We could always pull them out of class," Tonks shrugged and took a small sip from her glass of butterbeer. "Or we could wait until their free period."

"Right, but first we have to speak with Albus Dumbledore," Sirius nodded.

"What for?" Tonks wondered.

"Well one, it's rude to not say goodbye to him," Alexis told her cousin in an _as-a-matter-of-factly_ tone. "And two, Sirius probably wants to see if Harry can come live with us, seeing that he _is_ his godfather and is perfectly capable of protecting him. Besides, surely we can treat the kid better than his muggle relatives."

"Right, so now we go to Hogwarts," Tonks nodded.

She suddenly sighed inwardly when she realized she should probably bid Remus farewell. With him being a professor at Hogwarts, she would see him as often as she'd be able to see the kids, only during holidays and vacation. Tonks remembered they still hadn't spoken about that kiss, and she wanted to know what he thought. She wanted to know if it mattered to him as much as it did to her, or if it meant absolutely nothing to him, nothing at all. She wanted to know for sure how he felt towards her, and she wanted to know so badly. They hadn't gotten a chance to speak the last time they saw each other at the Ministry. And it was now or never for her. Tonks sighed again, that time physically, earning herself a questioning look from each of her cousin. She ignored them while wondering what she should say and what the right words would be to get the true and honest answer out of Remus. She wondered where the bold and downright uncaring Nymphadora Tonks of her Hogwarts years went. She'd asked guys out before and the situation was the same, was it not? So why was she so nervous?


	24. It's Not Really Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

This is the second to last chapter. The next one will be an epilogue-ish kind of thing for "Life Like This". I'm planning on continuing with this fic-verse I made onto another story. I haven't decided the title yet. Anyways, I'm building a foundation for the next story with these last two chapters. Hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting. Please continue to support me. Thank you! Love you all lots. I'd give you hugs but...IDK how that'd be possible haha. And it's almost New Year!

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><p><strong>Chapter 24 – It's Not Really Goodbye…<strong>

It was quiet in Albus Dumbledore's office, even with the four people and vermillion colored phoenix inside. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, his elbows rested on the table as he was deep in thought, his eyes shifting between the empty air and the eyes of the three former students facing him, from clairvoyant dark green eyes to thoughtful almost black and to scarred but recovering grey. The three former students now adults and his equal, were all waiting for an answer from him. Dumbledore let out a sigh as Sirius shifted in his stance, growing impatient. Sirius began walking up to the headmaster first, just as Tonks blew a strand of her hair out of her face with a bored expression on, while Alexis tried to stifle a yawn. Dumbledore had nearly forgotten how long he'd been thinking and making them wait there.

"Professor, can we please have an answer?" Sirius pressed, wondering if his godson could come live with him or not.

Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid the answer is no. Sirius I'm sorry," he finally answered.

"But why?" Sirius replied hastily. "He's my godson, James and Lily trusted him to me. It would make sense for him to come live with me."

Before Dumbledore could answer, one of Sirius' cousins backed him up, the one with brilliant pink hair that he always liked. "And we can no doubt treat him better than his muggle relatives ever could," she added.

"Besides, Harry really wants to live with us and away from his muggle relatives," said the girl with raven black hair that Dumbledore always thought knew more than she let on, even if she already does let on that she knew a lot.

He sighed again, thinking that perhaps it was time he told them yet another fact of what had happened on Halloween night about twelve or so years ago. Dumbledore stood up from his seat, facing them with a completely serious expression on his face. "I'm afraid, it still wouldn't be best for him to leave his muggle relatives," he told them. "Twelve years ago when Lily Potter was killed, she had sacrificed her life to protect Harry. That in turn had placed a protection spell over the boy, protecting him from the greatest evil…"

"Voldemort," Sirius spoke solemnly.

"Yes. And I may seem paranoid, but I feel that we should use this protection given to him for as long as we could. And to keep the protection that Lily had sacrificed her life to give to him he must stay with his muggle relatives."

Sirius huffed while Tonks and Alexis remained quiet. "When will the protection be broken?" he asked in a low voice.

"There are two circumstances when the protection will be broken. One is when Harry no longer calls Number Four Privet Drive his home, and two is when he turns of age, seventeen. So if he comes and lives with you, the protection his mother gave to him would be broken. I know you want what's best for Harry, but his safety is above all."

"But Voldemort's gone," Tonks interrupted. "You've put an end to him…"

"They never exactly killed him," Alexis spoke up, her arms crossed, her face thoughtful.

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, some say he died, but there's a possibility that he's simply hiding away," he told them. "And I don't want to put Harry in any danger."

Sirius nodded, succumbing to the headmaster's decision. "Alright, Harry's safety is above all," he grunted in a low tone much like Mad-Eye Moody's.

"However," Dumbledore suddenly spoke as he thought of something. Then he saw the hope appear in Sirius' grey eyes as he awaited his words. "Harry would still call Privet Drive his home, but he can come and stay with you for several weeks during the end of the summer. It would save him the trouble of having to find a ride to King's Cross to board the Hogwarts Express for the next school year," he smiled.

A grin danced across Sirius' expression while a bright smile appeared on Tonks' lips and a subtle smirk showed itself on Alexis' face. "For several weeks?" Sirius asked, jumping at any chance he got to spend time with his godson.

"At the end of July," Dumbledore nodded and smiled.

"And we'll still be able to visit him during Hogsmeade weekend?" Sirius continued.

"If, as his godfather, you give him permission to go," Dumbledore replied with that familiar twinkle in his eyes.

Sirius nearly jumped. "Of course!" he yelled. "Thank you professor."

"It's Albus to you, all three of you. You're adults now, remember?" he chuckled kindly.

"Thank you though, Albus," Tonks and Alexis smiled and spoke together, sounding so much like the Weasley twins that they glanced at each other and raised an eyebrow. They both smiled however because they knew well and clear that if Albus Dumbledore hadn't casted that confinement barrier over Hogwarts a while back, Peter Pettigrew would have probably escaped through some small hole in the school ground. They had to thank him for that, and so much more that were too much to mention.

"Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who need it," he smiled and winked at them. "Now I'm guessing you three have some more farewells to bid."

"Goodbye headmaster," Tonks, Alexis, and Sirius all spoke together.

"It's not really goodbye, I'm sure we'll see each other again in the future," Albus Dumbledore smiled at his former students. "Stay out of trouble."

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><p>Sirius was looking for Harry around the entrance hall. When he visited Remus to tell his old friend to take care, Remus had told him Harry should be hanging around there since it was his free period after all. He walked down the large grand stair case that led to many others. Sirius was breathless at being back in Hogwarts again, not to mention being back as a free man. He couldn't help recalling memories everywhere he turned, memories that would sometimes even prick his eyes with tears. When Sirius stepped off the last step on the grand staircase, he could see the day when the four Marauders first met. A small tear formed in his eye when he remembered the way they were following Remus Lupin up the stairs in their first year, the bloke with his face buried behind a book who seemed to be the only one who knew where they were going. Sirius remembered how James was teasing Peter about something, and the plump little kid tripped and fell onto Sirius which caused Sirius to knock Remus over. A ghost of a smile passed Sirius' lips when he remembered James bending down and trying to help them, only to trip over his own untied shoelaces and stumble into a mess of the future Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Sirius had thought his cousin Tonks was clumsy, but remembering how the four Marauders first met, he too had a reputation with bad falls.<p>

"Feeling sentimental Black?" Severus Snape's dry, sneering voice pulled him back into the present reality as Snape noticed Sirius standing there, looking at the stairs thoughtfully.

"Of course, remembering good memories with my good friends, something you wouldn't understand Snivelly," Sirius retorted.

"Friends who have betrayed you?" Snape sneered, beginning to stride up the stairs.

Sirius scoffed at the way Snape glided like a looming black ghost up the stairs. "James never betrayed me, and neither did Remus, and he's still alive."

"Good luck with your friend then," Snape replied, not looking back.

Sirius turned around and was about to leave when something inside of him suddenly held him back. "Hey Snivelly," he called, and surprisingly, Snape stopped in his glide and turned his head partially back. "Thanks for the testimony."

"Don't ever expect me to testify for you again," Snape simply replied and strode off.

He chuckled at the expected reply from old Snivellus and Sirius turned around and called back, "Wouldn't count on it."

Turning back around, Sirius continued looking around the nearly deserted entrance hall for his godson. Within a few minutes, the large entrance doors to the school suddenly opened and in walked Harry Potter with an old and ragged broom slung over his shoulder while his robes were marred with grass stains and his face was covered in dirt. Sirius raised an eyebrow at the way Harry so proudly walked with his broom while he was covered in dirt. He sighed, marveled at how like James Potter Harry was.

"Sirius!" Harry called and dropped the old broomstick, running over to hug Sirius.

"Hey there kiddo, trying to squeeze some practice in during a free period?" he smiled, ruffling Harry's unruly messy black hair.

The kid beamed as he pulled apart from Sirius and tried to wipe the dirt off his face but to no avail. "I'm trying to get used to the school's broom. My old broom got murdered by the Whomping Willow," he replied.

Sirius made a face. If there was one thing he knew about the Potter was that their broom was like an arm to them. "I remember your dad would be so depressed if something happened to his broom, even if it was a small scratch."

"I was depressed a while back, but it's alright now," he replied, simply beaming because his godfather was there, the man so close to his dad whom he can call family as well.

"How about this, when I get the money, I'll buy you a new broom?" Sirius suggested, knowing he wasn't bloody likely going to use money from the Black family vault, no matter how filthy rich in gold it was.

"You don't have to…"

"Nonsense," Sirius cut him off smiling. "A Potter's gotta have his broom."

Harry smiled. "Are you here to stay?" he suddenly asked.

Sirius shook his head, holding the boy's face to take a closer look at him. He had his father's every feature from the crooked, mischievous grin to the unruly messy black hair, but Harry had his mother's eyes, Lily's eyes. And boy did Sirius miss those eyes, even if the only times he ever bothered to look in them were when Lily was raging mad at him for something stupid that he'd done.

"I'm here to ask Dumbledore a few things, and to say bye to you, until the next Hogsmeade weekend," Sirius replied.

"I can see you at Hogsmeade?" Harry asked, excited. "But I'm not allowed to go."

"I'm your godfather and I've already spoken with Professor Dumbledore about it. You can go," Sirius told him with a smirk. "I won't be in Hogsmeade though. I'm living with my cousins for now. But I'll visit you during those weekends, so write to me. And I've tried asking Dumbledore about letting you come live with me…"

"Really? What'd he say?" Harry asked with hopeful eyes.

"Well, it was sort of like a compromise. He said you still have to stay at your aunt and uncle's since they're your real family," Sirius told him, not sure whether or not he should explain to Harry about his mother's protection spell over him. "But you can come stay with us for the last few weeks of summer. We'll pick you up right around your birthday."

"That's most of summer! Yes!" Harry grinned optimistically.

"Until then kiddo," Sirius laughed. "And I sound like an over-worried parent for saying this but write," he told him. Harry simply grinned and hugged him again. Sirius held the kid tight, for a moment feeling like he was hugging James again after they'd done something they were extremely proud of. He sighed and patted Harry's head, glad that at least James' boy was happy, despite Sirius' failure to fulfill his role as a godfather for most of his life.

* * *

><p>With her bag hanging over her shoulder, Alexis walked slowly down the empty corridors of Hogwarts. All the students were in class right now, and only a few had free periods. She looked around, gazing at the beautiful architecture of the school that as a student she'd failed to appreciate. Now looking back at them, they seemed so beautiful. Walking by, she glanced quickly into the full classrooms, wondering who else she should say bye to. She'd already bid farewell to Ginny and Hermione, both girls sounding much like Andromeda when they made her promise to write and keep in contact. She ran into Harry already, and she even stopped to give Ron a hug, much to his delight as his cheeks turned bright red looking back at her. Alexis stroked her cheekbone, walking down the empty hallway as she pondered.<p>

"Why hello there," Fred and George Weasley suddenly greeted her.

She looked up, realizing she was shorter than them both despite her age being older than them. Alexis looked up into the brown eyes of the boys and smiled at their flaming red hair and brilliant mischievous grins that reminded her so much of her own.

"Hello boys," she greeted, sounding more her age than ever before.

"For the love of Merlin," George sighed. "We're not boys, we're sixteen you know."

"And in our books, sixteen makes us dignified adults. We're only one year away from being of age," Fred finished.

She laughed softly. "I'm guessing you've heard about our mission already?" she asked, knowing that Ginny had known and surely the twins wouldn't have missed out on the news.

"Of course we've heard," George smiled. "Ron can't keep a secret to save his life."

"We swear he's not our brother," Fred added. "He's way too daft."

She laughed again. For some reason, Alexis realized she was going to miss these boys, especially how though they were two they were like one. Rarely did she find one without the other, and when she does, they usually turned out to be pretty sweet and sentimental blokes despite their infamous track of pranks and mischief.

"Maybe we should have a proper introduction then," she suggested. "I'm Alexis Black, Unspeakable, and definitely not a sixth year heartbreaker," she smiled, remembering what Hermione Granger had once playfully called her.

"I'm Fred," George grinned.

"And I'm George," Fred added.

Alexis raised an eyebrow and smirked at them. "No, _you're_ George," she spoke to George. "And _you're_ Fred," she told Fred.

They seemed happy that she could tell them apart. "Fred and George Weasley at your service, the best troublemakers in the whole school," they grinned identical grins broadly at her.

"Alright, seeing that I'm an adult, it would be normal for me to wonder, shouldn't you two be in class?" she smiled.

"We have History of Magic now, and ever since Professor White or Auror White left, we're back to being stuck with Binns." George made a gagging sound.

"So seeing how that class is completely useless, we thought we'd go and try out a new invention of ours," Fred added, holding up a box of questionable mischief making materials.

"Do you want to join us?" George asked.

"I'd love to, but I really have to get going. I just returned to speak with Dumbledore about a few things and to say goodbye, after all, it's rude to leave without a word," she smiled.

"Alright," they both sighed together. "Will we see you again?"

"I'm not sure, not likely I'm guessing," she told them easily but her smile was sad.

"Well you're going to see us again anyways…somehow," George grinned.

"Alright, I promise you I'll see you two troublemakers again, somehow," she smiled and played with the leather bracelet they'd given her only a week or two ago. "And thanks again for this," she smiled, holding up her wrist with the bracelet that Mad-Eye finally returned to her after the trial. "It'd been a great help."

"Our pleasure," they smiled broadly. "And remember," Fred spoke.

"You promised," George finished that time and Alexis nodded, smiling at them once. She ended up succumbing to all the other farewells she'd given that day and hugged them both, fleetingly but tightly, just like she'd done with Ginny, Hermione, Harry, and even the clueless Ron Weasley. When she hugged Fred, he easily hugged her and patted her back like a simple good friend. But when Alexis hugged George, she felt him tense and relax under her arms, and almost shyly he brought his arms up to give her a tightly and nearly longing squeeze. Somehow, that boy, one half of a twin, gave her the most memorable farewell…somehow.

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><p>Again she found herself standing outside his door. Tonks sighed to herself, her vivid pink hair turning violet for a fleeting moment, and then back to bubblegum pink. She wondered when it would be time for it to turn around a bit. She wondered when Remus would be at her door instead, knocking on her door, waiting for her. She sighed again, knowing it wasn't going to happen. They were friends and it seemed like he wanted to leave it at that. The kiss they had, it probably meant absolutely nothing to him.<p>

Tonks held her hand up and drummed her knuckles on his door. As she stood there waiting. She heard soft noises inside, knowing it was Remus. As she waited she couldn't help but think about him, and them. She wondered if that kiss had meant anything to him, anything at all, like how it meant so much to her. She'd realized that she'd entirely fallen in love with him after that kiss, because she'd never felt anything quite the same. Tonks suddenly placed a plastered and rehearsed grin onto her face as she heard the creaky doorknob turn, greeting him with a brilliant Tonks-like smile.

"What'd you forget to insult me with this time Padfoot?" Remus spoke as he opened the door, thinking she was her cousin, his best friend who had been there earlier no doubt. "Oh, Nymphadora, hello," he smiled weakly, surprised to see her.

"Wotcher Remus," she smiled, pulling on her heavy bag that hung over her shoulder.

"Sorry, I thought you were Sirius. He uh…he came to talk with me a bit earlier and managed to threaten me several times about what he'd do if I don't visit him often," Remus told her, managing a very weak laugh afterwards.

"Oh," Tonks nodded. She suddenly didn't know what to say. "Um…well I came to say goodbye," she told him, still searching for the right words. "Since my mission is over, I guess it's about time I leave and not be a nuisance to everyone around me," she joked, but her heart wasn't in it as she stood before him.

"You're not a nuisance," Remus spoke blankly as if those words had slipped out of his mouth. He cleared his throat subtly and looked away from her for a minute. "Um…I guess this is goodbye…Dora," he told her unsurely, searching for the right words as well.

She nodded and smiled. Her smile was sad however, he noticed, and he also saw that her bubblegum pink hair wasn't as brilliant as it always was, and in fact it seemed a little down, a little bit darker. Remus watched quietly as she slowly, hesitantly turned around to leave, fixing her bag around her shoulder. He gripped the wooden doorframe. Watching her go, he wanted so hard to hold her back. Ever since their kiss, whenever he found himself anywhere near her, he always wanted to hold her, to be with her, but he knew he shouldn't. Remus sighed inwardly to himself, watching her leave. Perhaps, like what was best, that kiss had meant nothing to her, nothing at all, despite how much it meant to him. He'd never felt quite the same like he did with her and any normal bloke wouldn't have let such a woman walk away from them. But Remus Lupin wasn't just any normal bloke, he was a cursed man, a werewolf, and he loves Nymphadora Tonks, yes he loves her. But he loves her too much to allow himself to burden her.

As he watched her go, all the memories of them in the past short months began to replay in his mind. He remembered how they met, how he was skeptical of her and how she greatly disliked him. Then he remembered the Boggart, how he'd spoken with her and they sat together under the great big oak tree in the East Wing courtyard. He remembered how she ended up stuck with him for a full moon in the Shrieking Shack, and how she had helped him and willingly spent the night with him during the October Blood Moon. Remus could still hear her soft words of comfort she'd tell him, her ways of ardently reassuring him. He wanted to live them again. He wanted to be like that again. But somehow, it seemed that after that kiss, it had ruined them. He'd misread her, and he'd made a move she wasn't ready for and won't ever be.

For Remus Lupin thought that Nymphadora Tonks didn't love him and that he had ruined them with the kiss. He thought he wasn't worthy of her, that she deserved so much more, someone who could actually take care of her and not burden her. But little did he know, the girl with the pink hair that was walking away from him, felt the exact same way.

As Tonks reached the door to exit the classroom, something suddenly held her back. Her hand was on the doorknob, but she didn't turn it. Instead she stood there and pondered for a moment. Then without thinking, she turned around to face Remus who stood on the other side of the classroom, watching her with surprise in his eyes.

"Remus…" she spoke across the room, just loud enough to be heard. "The kiss…"

He looked at her with soft but piercing eyes. "The kiss…"

She was scared to ask. Tonks wondered when she'd ever been mindful of her words before she spewed them out of her fast mouth. She was Nymphadora Tonks and all throughout school, she was never like that with any bloke. So what made Remus so different? Tonks suddenly felt like she'd found an answer, by looking into those soft, gentle blue eyes.

"Did…did it mean anything to you?" she asked in a soft voice, barely above a whisper.

Remus seemed shy almost. He stood there, his one hand rubbing the back of his neck while his other was stuffed into the pocket of his shabby but comfortable trousers. Remus licked his lips and looked up at her, as if debating what he should or shouldn't say. Tonks only hope he'd tell her the truth and not make up some lie to keep her happy.

"Yes…" Tonks could feel herself beam. "I…I…kissed you too…didn't I?"

"And I kissed you too…" she added, her heartbeat rising. She was flustered and had she not been born a metamorphmagus, her cheeks would have turned deep red. "What do we do now?" She was getting more nervous and more flustered by the second.

"Nymphadora, I'm not worthy," he told her slowly.

"What?"

"The kiss…I'm not worthy of it, of you…" Remus tried to explain. "You deserve someone far better than what I am. I'm far too old for you. I'm dirt poor and I'll only be a burden to you. Not to mention I'm a werewolf and you're an auror."

Tonks took a step towards him. He was giving her excuses, and Tonks understood why he was trying to push her away, but it didn't mean she'd take those excuses of his. "Remus, we're friends, aren't we?"

He nodded.

"I may sound foolish and naïve, but we kissed. Tell me if I'm wrong but I felt something in that kiss, something that tells me together, we could bring this friendship into something more," she told him and wondered if they'd already done so without realizing it.

"But we can't Nymphadora," he cut her off, trying to reason with her and himself. "Most people won't even look at me or admit I exist knowing what I am. I'm already grateful enough that you are my friend. Moving any further…I'm afraid…"

"Afraid of what?"

"Many things," he told her, thinking his past few attempts at romance. "I'm afraid I'd burden you. I'm a werewolf and you're an auror. I would make you an outcast. I'm such a troublesome friend. I don't want to trouble you with every little thing. And…I'm afraid that less we reach some troubles while moving forward past friendship…I'd lose you as a friend." He looked at her with honest eyes.

Tonks could ignore his many other excuses. She'd always been an outcast her entire life and didn't mind it. He wasn't troublesome at all. But there was one excuse she couldn't ignore. He was right in saying that they could possibly lose each other as friends if they didn't work out in a relationship beyond friendship. It'd happened to her much too often before, and losing Remus' friendship was the last thing she wanted.

"I understand…" she sighed. "But…it still doesn't mean we can't try," she suddenly added and decided that she _was_ reckless after all.

He shook his head, looking at her with eyes that spoke. Remus looked like he really wanted to try, but his many fears were holding him back. "I don't want to lose you as a friend."

She was quiet for a long time, and then laughed a humorless laugh softly and quietly. "So…we don't want to lose this friendship?" she asked him.

"We don't. We can't lose this friendship," he told her, their friendship being above all.

Tonks nodded. She didn't know what more to say to him. Tonks was happy to hear that she was of some importance to him, so important that he cared about their friendship and worried he'd lose her if things didn't work out. But Tonks was sad as well, sad that he wasn't willing to give it a try as she was so open to the idea. However, Tonks reminded herself that it wasn't the end of them. Surely she would see Remus again, more often than not. She'd have time to explore their relationship and which direction the feelings they have would take. She then felt glad—at least the surprise and emotional rollercoaster-like kiss they shared hadn't ruined them.

"Nymphadora, I hope you understand."

She smiled a Tonks-like smile with her newfound optimism. They'd have more time to develop whatever feelings they had, and maybe with time she and Remus could decide on a mutual direction they could go in.

"I understand. So…I'll see you again soon Remus."

Remus smiled when he saw her own smile. He was glad as well. Unknown to him, he was glad for all the same reasons she was. "Very soon."

"Better or I'll get Padfoot to come and annoy you until you come visit."

He chuckled and Tonks was glad that the things that came naturally to them, the laughter, the endless conversation, the inevitable closeness, hadn't disappeared. "Please don't. A letter would be enough to bring me over."

"A howler then," she joked and slowly parted from him.

Slowly stepping back, Tonks imprinted the image of his smiling face and took it with her. She constantly reminded herself that it wasn't the end for them. Tonks even dared to think that maybe, with time she could get Remus to change his mind and give them a try at a relationship, no matter what the outcome would be.

* * *

><p>Arriving at the large, grand iron gates of Hogwarts, Tonks immediately spotted her two cousins standing there, waiting for her. Her smile that had grown subtle beamed again when she saw the sight of Sirius Black, now a free man, waiting for her. She never thought she'd see the day. A surge of pride rippled through her when Tonks realized she'd been of some help in bringing him his freedom back. Tonks felt like she wasn't a complete fail as an auror after all.<p>

"Ready to go home Tonksie?" Sirius asked and she shot him a mock glare.

"What's with the face Tonksie?" Alexis added with a smirk similar to Sirius'.

"You know what, if you two keep calling me Tonksie or Nymphadora, I will disown you myself." She then turned to Sirius and stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh I forgot. We've already disowned you."

"She's a feisty one ain't she?" Sirius told Alexis and they laughed together. "So Tonks, Lexi and I were simply wondering—how did saying farewell to my dear old pal Moony go?"

"It's not really goodbye," she told them. "So I just told him to come over soon."

Sirius nodded, seeming like he wanted to say more but chose not to. Tonks noticed him give Alexis an unreadable look. He then turned around and walked towards the large iron gates with them behind him, taking long strides almost as if he was strutting.

"You aren't at all sad that you won't see him as often?" Alexis asked in a softer, much more purposeful tone of voice.

"A bit," Tonks admitted. "But Sirius will bother him and make him come visit us right?" she added and Alexis nodded.

"What about your…very little crush on him?" she asked, making a great understatement.

"I talked to him…he said he's too old, too poor, and too werewolf for me. And he said he's afraid to lose me as a friend."

"Typical Moony," Sirius suddenly scoffed, having overheard their conversation. "He'd been recycling those excuses ever since second year when girls decided they like him. Tonksie if you don't give him a right side slap in the head and knock some sense into his thick head, I swear to god I bloody will."

Tonks laughed softly. "I'll take that to mind Padfoot, thanks."

"So what do you plan to do now?" Alexis continued to ask.

"I don't know. What can you do once you have friendship?"

"Quite a lot actually. Good luck making your choice."

"I'll make a good decision with time."

They heard Sirius scoff again and Alexis said, "Better make one fast cuz. I think Sirius is seriously debating whether or not to give you and Remus a little…push." There was a knowing look in Alexis' face and Tonks suddenly wished she could read minds. Lexi was always the one in on inside jokes and Tonks feared that whatever her two cousins had in mind would make things much more difficult for her.

"You know Tonks, if you and my best friend Moony are in love with each other—as oddly as it is with you being my baby cousin and him being Moony—you two should just dive right on forward recklessly and then see where you end up. Usually, it's a lot more fun than you'd expect. Don't let fear hold you back," said Sirius thoughtfully.

A few more steps and they were finally out of Hogwarts. Sirius, Tonks, and Alexis were about to leave but they turned back to take another glance at the marvelous castle. It'd once been their home. In it held so many memories that they couldn't even list or gather into proper, understandable thoughts. They each looked at the castle longingly, feeling a familiar feeling to one they'd get when they were leaving home and heading out into the big, big world. Somehow, everything always seemed to start in that castle—in its very walls. Everything from their life, their knowledge, their love, and even their own personal story, all seemed to have a beginning there. They sighed and turned away, looking at each other now with three different smiles. As they walked away, they left the castle peacefully in their wake.


	25. Epilogue: Promising Moon

**Author's Note:**

This is more like a fluff chapter because I wanted just a little more Remus and Tonks fluff haha. It's relatively short though. So this is the end of "Life Like This". Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting. Your support is really appreciated. Thank you! And now, as I said I plan on starting another story in this fic-verse. It should be up around sometime next week, perhaps during the weekend I assure you because I'm so busy during the weekdays. The first chapter is almost done, I'm just making final touches. I still haven't settled on the title yet haha, sorry. Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you'll continue to read and support me in the future! Thank you! 3

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><p><strong>Chapter 25 – Epilogue: Promising Moon<strong>

Remus woke up at the crack of dawn, his body aching and in a sense of pain that he thought had numbed out after all those years of repetition. He was lying on the cold hard floor of the Shrieking Shack, his frail body shivering under the tattered blanket he'd brought with him the night before. There were fresh scars on his face, chest, and arms, and broken furniture all around him, a result of trying to let loose a little bit of his frustration last night while in the form of a wolf. He rolled over slowly, groaning along with the creaking shack as he tried to push himself off the hard and dirty ground.

He managed to get onto his knees and winced in pain at how much his muscles were aching, aching down to the bone. His face twisted in pain for a weak moment. Then he pushed it all back and concealed the pain behind a grimace. Remus crawled over to his pile of clothes he'd laid neatly on the far corner of the room and began pulling them over himself, warming up from the cold air that suffocated the room. Though he had wolfsbane, the last moon hadn't been kind.

As he got dressed, Remus couldn't help but notice how his thoughts echoed in the silence. It was morning, February, and it was still winter. The snow was falling outside. He wondered when spring would come. Thinking of spring, he thought of all the colors and liveliness. That soon brought his thoughts over to a certain pink haired auror who was full of life.

"Bloody hell!"

Remus turned around immediately, ignoring the piercing pain from his back. He'd heard a crash and the familiar voice of the brilliant pink-haired auror. Remus looked around. He didn't see her and so she must still be in the hallway. He only hoped he wouldn't spot a newly made Tonks-shape hole in the ground following the crash.

"Nymphadora?" he called her name, taking a few steps towards the hall.

Of course Remus had expected to see her that morning. She'd made it clear to him that once his wards were down at sunrise, she'd come help him return to Hogwarts. Remus often saw Tonks, despite her being an auror and him being a werewolf professor. Just last week he'd visited Kent where Andromeda's home was, and had dinner with the kind family.

Ever since their kiss, Remus had feared that his feelings for Tonks would cost him his friendship with her. But that didn't happen. Instead, Remus found himself being drawn closer to Tonks every time they spent time together, and he had to remind himself that he and she should only remain as friends. It was better for them both, he thought.

"Wotcher Remus," she smiled and pushed herself up from the floor, making herself visible to him. She'd tripped on the stairs, again.

"Hello Nymphadora," said Remus with a smile. He still never understood how or why, but whenever he saw her lovely face after a full moon, he'd feel loads better.

"For the millionth time Remus, stop calling me Nymphadora." She seemed out of breath.

"A habit, sorry," he smiled. "Why do you seem out of breath?"

"I was being messed with by the kids. And can you believe Sirius actually got Harry that Firebolt he was talking about? He's spoiling the good kid! I'm so jealous," she went on.

He chuckled softly. Tonks walked over and helped him stand, putting his one arm around her shoulders to stable him. He was hesitant of being so close to her, worried where their reckless emotions would end up going.

"And can you believe that Alexis and Marrick are so open about their relationship?" Tonks continued to rant, expressing her thoughts very clearly. "It's getting scarily annoying," she laughed. "Yet she and Sirius said that if I ever get in a relationship, I'd end up that way too."

"I actually can't imagine you as being too extravagantly open about your romantic relationships. In fact Nymphadora, I always thought you'd be the more subtle kind."

"You've thought about this before?" she questioned as a smile grazed her lips.

He nodded. "Yes actually…" Remus suddenly paused and looked up at the smile on Tonks' face. He could feel himself beginning to blush and forced himself to maintain control. Remus licked his lips, wondering how he was to get out of that situation. Now, whenever he and Tonks were together, things would always threaten to bring them closer together, past the friendship line. It was like it came naturally for them both, and Remus thought he couldn't allow that. No matter how much he wanted to give it a try, he didn't want to burden her. Besides, she was a colorful and brilliant young auror while he was a scarred and shabby old werewolf. They simply didn't match, he thought. And Remus didn't want to put the special friendship he had with her on the line just because he wanted to explore the realms of emotions a little further.

Tonks' smile grew subtle and she continued to help him towards the stairs. They took slow step, less Tonks tripped over something or Remus collapsed from tired and aching legs. He could feel her warmth envelope him on that winter morning and he felt flustered again. Remus licked his lips and avoided her eyes. He suddenly found the small cracks in the staircase very, very interesting.

As they were heading down the unstable wooden staircase, Tonks suddenly tripped over something neither of them saw. Almost instinctively, Remus reached forward and grabbed her around the waist, preventing her from tumbling downwards to a painful crash. His pain and aching limbs were forgotten as he stared into her surprised dark green eyes. With all his strength remaining, Remus pulled her back up to her feet and he finally relaxed. She was standing awfully close to him—so close that their chests were touching and he could feel her breathing quicken and hear her heartbeat soar.

"Uh…thanks Remus," said Tonks in a flustered tone of voice.

He hadn't intended that. Simple friends weren't supposed to feel nervous and flustered around each other, Remus thought. "You're welcome…Tonks," said Remus who consciously reminded himself to call her Tonks, the name a simple friend should call her.

Like always, they'd get lost into the other's eyes. Remus found himself staring into dark green pools of emerald while she stared back into gentle blue pools of sapphire. His heartbeat raced. It wasn't supposed to be happening. For the past few weeks, Remus had managed to maintain a simple, cordial, and normal friendship with Nymphadora Tonks. Now, his emotions were beckoning him to move forward with that friendship and like always, he couldn't allow that. He was trying to hold himself back.

Suddenly, Remus pulled away and forced himself to break their entrancing stares. He cleared his throat subtly and suddenly found the floorboards very interesting as he avoided Tonks' clairvoyant green eyes.

"Sorry," said Remus quickly.

"Uh…let's get going," said Tonks awkwardly, continuing to help him make it down the stairs. While walking, she continued to wonder why Remus always pulled away. He was always scared in allowing things to progress naturally, as if he was afraid. Tonks sighed inwardly and wished he'd just be willing to give whatever it was they had a chance to progress naturally. It was life after all, and life was a gamble.


End file.
